Free Republic

Conservatives say they face hostility for Republican beliefs Fireman John Darminin has charged into burning buildings, but said his hottest assignment was serving in union leadership as a Republican. The Redwood City resident and former director of the San Francisco Firefighters Union Local 798 said the union ordered him to remove a Bush/Cheney bumper sticker from his car in 2000 and to take down his Web site that was critical of liberal San Francisco politicians. And those were just some of the many attacks on his conservative political beliefs that have left him bitter. "I thought I was back in...

Firefighters for Bush On March 4, 2004, President Bush released the first television campaign ad of the season. It was a powerful, upbeat, forward-looking message of hope, containing images from his presidency and a vision of a better future. It was also attacked immediately in the press as "exploitative" because the President had included some brief images from 9/11 which featured the crumbled towers and weary firefighters. IAFF president Howard Schaitberger joined the attack, claiming that the President was trying to "capitalize on the image of great heroics and a great tragedy." But other firefighters, incensed at the IAFF's statements,...