Firefighters to go after Bush 'loudly and aggressively'(With a little help from the Dems!)

The Hill ^ | 3/11/04

[areafiftyone]

The Firefighter's union disgusts me! Then if this is the case they should pull their ads that use 9/11 pictures to promote Kerry's candidacy. I heard on Fox and Friends that they have similar ads running.

[b4its2late]

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) called the firefighters “one of the most active and effective organizations in their endorsements. They really come out for whoever they endorse.”

That comment coming from someone who was booed off the stage by the heros at the September 11th benefit. Keep dreaming Hillary.

[RoseofTexas]

WHERE are all those firefighters who stood along side with Bush after 9-11?!! Why can't they stand up for W and speak out as well...MY GOD WHAT GUTLESS WIMPS!! I thought the world about those NY FF, how EXTREMELY disappointing. I had considered them my HEROES, NOT ANYMORE...how sad! Those that perish on 9-11 will always be Heroic Heroes in my heart! Those FF without DNC amnesia need to speak out, this is not the time to hold their tongue! The nation is watching! Will FF stand for FIREFIGHTERS or will it stand for FLIP-FLOPPERS?! Do we need to contact some of those FF to encourage them to do the right honorable thing? WHAT CAN WE DO??

[BMC1]

If they do, I think we should do an aggressive letter writing campaign to the Firefighters Union and the media.

We can be just as aggressive as they are. 9/11 doesn't just belong to the firefighters or those who lost family members on that day. 9/11 BELONGS TO ALL AMERICANS AND AMERICANS BETTER REALIZE THE NUMBER ONE THING IN THIS ELECTION YEAR IS TO ELECT SOMEONE WHO WILL GO AFTER TERRORISTS.

9/11 trumps electing some wishy-washy dufuss who wants to turn the security of the United States over to the UN which would be a fatal error on our part.

Fighting terrorism IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ECONOMY OR JOBS. Items 2 and 3 won't matter a hill of beans when we get hit again and we will.

The only way to defeat terrorism is if we all stick together. WE ARE AMERICANS AND WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE SET OUR MINDS TO DOING. If other so called Americans don't believe that then GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS COUNTRY. GO LIVE IN SAUDI ARABIA OR ANY SOCIALIST COUNTRY THEY CHOOSE.

I'm tired of these people who hate President Bush so much they are willing to put American lives in danger. Terrorists know President Bush will go after them and they also know Kerry won't. PRESIDENT BUSH IS THE MAN.

[OldFriend]

Doing all in their power to undermine the respect the firefighters earned during 9/11.

Pity, isn't it!

[OldFriend]

Immediately following 9/11 the firefighter's union sought to cancel the contract they had signed with the city.

They attempted to exploit 9/11 to renegotiate for more money.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Firefighters Union = AFL CIO ?

CG

[MrB]

Correction to the title:

Firefighters Union Thug Leaders to go after Bush...

[af_vet_1981]

Doing all in their power to undermine the respect the firefighters earned during 9/11.

It is time for every fire fighter to stand up and be counted. Let them take their stand.

[Coop]

In case anyone isn't familiar with Harold Schaitberger, here's some info from the Firefightersforkerry website.

Schaitberger Stumps for Kerry
January 28: John Kerry surged to a convincing win the nation’s first Presidential Primary. Senator Kerry won handily over longtime frontrunner Howard Dean by a margin of 39-27%. Kerry bested all other candidates by at least 3 to 1 margins.

Since the IAFF unveiled its endorsement of Kerry at a Firehouse in Manchester last October, New Hampshire Fire Fighters have been at the forefront of Kerry’s efforts in the Granite State.

Led by State President Dave Lang, IAFF affiliates and members played host to Senator Kerry and sponsored a series of events to introduce the “Fire Fighters Candidate” to New Hampshire voters. Most notably, the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire organized dozens of “Chili feeds” where Senator Kerry doled out gourmet firehouse chili and talked politics with potential voters. These events reached thousands of voters.

After Kerry’s surprise victory in Iowa, IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger spent the last week in New Hampshire on the campaign trail helping to keep Kerry’s momentum going.

"I spent a week here in New Hampshire because John Kerry represents our future. In my thirty plus years on the line, no Presidential candidate has ever embraced the fire service and the IAFF like John Kerry. He is our Real Deal," said General President Schaitberger...

http://www.firefightersforkerry.com/campaign/story_29.php

[Conspiracy Guy]

My Rant and My Poem, follows.

Rant

It was a NATIONAL tragedy, not an attack on individuals.

Though I feel for the families who lost someone on 9/11, the attacks are not their private property. The attacks were aimed at every American. I am sick of people acting like because they lost someone, this is private. Their loss is private but the attacks were not. I will never forget that it was an attack on me, my family, my friends, my nation. I take it personal as should every American.

If George W. Bush wants to use 9/11 in his campaign, that is his right. He was attacked too. His response to the attacks shows the character and courage his predecessor did not have when we were attacked so many times during those 8 dark years.

God Bless America and George W. Bush.

Conspiracy Guy 3/5/4

Poem

We Remember

We saw the look upon his face,
Through whispers he was told.
We knew he felt just what we felt,
We wouldn’t sit here cold.
We knew this time that we would act,
And not just turn our head.
This time we’d go and we’d go big,
We wouldn’t bomb some shed.
He called them faceless cowards,
He vowed we’ll hunt them down.
We watched as he spoke to us all,
Sincerely, not some clown.
His eyes assured us he’d not rest,
Until they paid the price.
Yes we’d turn over every stone,
Until they were on ice.
He warned the battle would be long,
That many would forget.
That some would say, let’s just move on,
Not him, his mind was set.
We backed him then, we back him now,
The fight must still go on.
We can’t back down, we can’t let up,
Until the threat is gone.
God Bless our troops as on they fight,
Each day for them we pray.
We thank them all, for all they do,
“They are the best”, we say.
We will support our President,
He’s proven he will stand.
We’ll vote for Bush this coming fall,
We will protect this land.

Conspiracy Guy 3/5/4

[Coop]

IAFF Shares Kerry Victory in Iowa

[savedbygrace]

Schaitberger said the administration had “failed the profession,” and he listed initiatives for first responders that the administration cut, including programs to add staff and equipment to firehouses.

This has all the earmarks of a sleazy old shakedown to me.

Who are these guys and do most firefighters belong to this one union?

[noexcuses]

Where did Bush cut funding for firefighters????

[Coop]

Anybody who saw coverage of any major Kerry campaign events saw Schaitberger puckering up on stage. Here he's holding hands with his favorite fella. You may recognize him from numerous annual appearances on the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon.

[LibWhacker]

This can be countered easily enough, can't it?: Get firefighters to "go after" firefighters. I'm sure the patriots greatly outnumber the traitors. So, create an ad showing patriotic firefighters shaking their heads over the partisanship and lack of patriotism among 'rat firemen.

[Steve_Seattle]

Firefighters are local employees - why should they be funded by the federal government? And what cuts are they talking about? Is this another case where a 5% increase is called a "cut" because they wanted an 8% increase?

[petercooper]

most unions disgust me

[Species8472]

The IAFF only represents about 20% of the nations firefighters. The firefighters union suffers from the same liberal sickness that every other public employees union suffers. The are more concerned with their own pay and benefits than they are about the people they serve. Many of the union firefighters I have known and worked with have a true dilemma at election time; to vote their in concert with their beliefs or to vote the union line. I suspect this is going to be even more true this year.

[onedoug]

If they don't like their jobs they should look for others.