Posted on 05/29/2007 3:13:05 PM PDT by SUSSA
Here’s an unwelcome birthday gift for Rudy Giuliani, as he travels around the city raising money: protests from fire fighters and family members of September 11th victims.
They've shown up in the past at Giuliani's presidential events. Today, they’re gathering in Bay Ridge, and they have plans to follow him nationwide starting sometime around January, according to Jim Riches, a deputy chief with the fire department whose son was killed in the World Trade Center attacks.
“We have all the UFA, the UFOA, and the fire members are all behind us -- the International Association of Fire Fighters,” said Riches. “And we’re going to be out there today to let everybody know that he’s not the hero that he says he is.”
The group’s complaints center on the faulty radios used by the fire department that day and what they say was a lack of coordination at Ground Zero.
And Riches disputes the notion that Giuliani provided any form of leadership on September 11 or in the days following.
“If somebody can tell me what he did on 9/11 that was so good, I’d love to hear it. All he did was give information on the TV”
“He did nothing,” Riches continued. “He stood there with a TV reporter and told everyone what was going on. And he got it from everybody else down at the site.”
It may have been a case of Bill having all the legal people, from the AG on down, in his pocket. Hillary was not stupid enough to have taken on the whole corrupt Arkansas government and court system when she knew Bill had the option to call in markers constantly.
The Clinton's relationship (hard to call it a marriage) is so complex that I am sure there were many factors influencing her course of action. The aggrieved wife in Gracie Mansion didn't have the same political agenda as hillary.
As to the focus on Giuliani -- which do you fight first: an approaching enemy, or an enemy inside the gates?
Just because firefighters are members of a union doesn’t make them less heroic or less believable than Rudy.
Fire battalion chief Jim Riches Sr., lost his son Jim Jr., on 9-11 because “Jim Riches, 29, had been helping to rescue office workers in the north tower when it collapsed. In the dust and debris, his fellow firefighters did not realise that the south tower had already crashed to the ground. Despite the terrifying noise, survivors say they thought only the top storeys had toppled. They never heard the order to evacuate. “My son could have had 30 minutes to escape,” Riches Sr said.
The firefighters were still using the antiquated “handie-talkie” radios that failed to work during the 1993 bombing of the twin towers, when Giuliani was also mayor. He not only failed to replace them, but also located the city’s new emergency command centre at the World Trade Center against the advice of key officials. It proved useless when it was most needed.
Lack of communication also meant that warnings from police helicopters about an imminent collapse failed to get through.”
That puts a bad taste in the firefighters’ mouths.
I didn’t complain when the teamsters worked phone banks and drove people to the polls for Reagan. I will not complain as the firefighters Swift Boat Rudy.
As Douglas Brinkley, a biographer of Kerry, said: “Pitting the two heroes of 9/11 - Giuliani and the firefighters - against each other will be the Swift Boat campaign all over again. Giuliani has marketed himself brilliantly as the leader of 9/11 but this will damage him. Most Americans respect the firemen more than they respect him.”
I say good for the firefighters! Get the truth out about this low-life puke; the sooner the better.
Yeah, that’s real great character when you bring your bimbo home while your wife and kids are living there. And when your wife finds out you don’t stop until she gets a court order. That’s just the kind of person we need in the White House.
But hey, character doesn’t matter; Right?
It was their union that worked their butts off for Bush. Were you against the union doing that?
Were you against the Teamsters Union working for Reagan?
When the union is doing good why be against them?
Even po-dunk VFDs have more than one 'channel'. NYC should have a wad of them, and emergency communications coordination.
It didn't because the emergency center was in a building in the same complex as the targeted towers.
Still, I would expect one or more mobile commo vans (command centers) which could have handled a localized crisis in a city that size.
It really should have been evident that it was only a question of 'when', not 'if' there would be a problem with that many people in such a small area in a city which is, by virtue of its size (if nothing else), a high profile target.
And although it is not possible for anyone to anticipate every possibility, the WTC had already been the target of one bombing.
“UFA, the UFOA, ...the International Association of Fire Fighters” is an extreme far left Labor Organization that heavily finances and supports leftist Democrats.
see post 41
Rooty, McStain, And Romney are pretty equivalent. The rest of the republican pack (even goof ball Ron Paul) are far more upright and representative of conservatives. I hate to have to explain this too you, as at your age you should already know but - During the Primaries you focus on your Best not just something you scrape together and hope will suffice.
WE dont focus on which is worse - but which is best. Rooty isn't even in the same metro phone book with republican best.
Thank you for playing.
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/5295/
For other reference.
The President of the UFA used to be Thomas Von Essen, a current partner at Giuliani Partners. Rudy made him his Police Commissioner a few years after taking office then went into business with him. During his 1993 campaign, the UFA workers ran phone banks for Rudy. The rank and file, and leadership, were most definitely his supporters. They also endorsed him in 1997. The same group supported George Bush in the last two elections.
Is this what you mean by “an extreme far left Labor Organization that heavily finances and supports leftist Democrats”?
I'm still having 'issues' with my new computer system and programs.
I need my coffee.
As I've posted before - even Mayor Daley (King-Chi), the biggest RAT of them all, learned from the 1st WTC bombing.
In 1994 he built a state of the art joint PD FD communication center One Mile West of the Chicago Loop. About as safe as you can get and still be 'close to the action' (main targets).
And that's a fact, as I was one of the subcontractors on the project.
I am no Guiliani supporter but he was doing what he was supposed to be doing.
He was doing his job and being in front of the camera and doing whatever it is that mayors do was appropriate.
These union goons would have had a better case if he was posing with a grenade bandoleer, or like JFK’s dad had gone off to the english countryside.
I would still like to know how many New Yorkers, including police, firemen and ordinary citizens died as a result of not moving that Emergency Response Center from WTC7 years earlier when Giuliani was advised to do so. Any idea?
If the Unions are agin him, I’m for him. Won’t vote for him in the primaries, but hey the Unions are lining up against him.
Pray for W and Our Troops
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