Rudy Giuliani: Frontrunner. Anyone who follows Presidential politics now knows that Rudy is looking good. People think he's the bee's knees. Everyone, that is, except Conservatives, Democrats, and, as it turns out, the firefighters who were actually involved or affected by 9/11.
IAFF alleges that Rudy stopped search and rescue attempts to recover the remains of hundreds of slain firefighters, opting instead to scoop the area and dump bodies in a landfill. Then, injury meet insult: Rudy had 15 community leaders arrested when they sought audience to change the mind of "America's Mayor".
This is devistating to Rudy's campaign and should be a coffin nail:
Regrettably, the situation with former Mayor Giuliani is very different. His actions post 9/11 rise to such an offensive and personal attack on our brother and sisterhood - and directly on our union - that the IAFF does not feel Rudy Giuliani deserves an audience of IAFF leaders and members at our own Presidential Forum.The disrespect that he exhibited to our 343 fallen FDNY brothers, their families and our New York City IAFF leadership in the wake of that tragic day has not been forgiven or forgotten.
More quotes from the IAFF about "Fresh Kills Landfill" Rudy below the fold...
In November 2001, our members were continuing the painful, but necessary, task of searching Ground Zero for the remains of our fallen brothers and the thousands of innocent citizens that were killed, because precious few of those who died in the terrorist attacks had been recovered at that point.[...]
Nevertheless, Giuliani, with the full support of his Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, decided on November 2, 2001, to sharply reduce the number of those who could search for remains at any one time. There had been as many as 300 fire fighters at a time involved in search and recovery, but Giuliani cut that number to no more than 25 who could be there at once.
[...]
Mayor Giuliani's actions meant that fire fighters and citizens who perished would either remain buried at Ground Zero forever, with no closure for families, or be removed like garbage and deposited at the Fresh Kills Landfill.
[...]
The scoop-and-dump continued. And when hundreds of family members of the fallen joined with our affiliate leadership and members to protest Giuliani's decision, he ordered senior officers of the New York Police Department to arrest 15 of our FDNY brothers, including a number of local elected IAFF leaders.
Can you fool all of the people all of the time? The Giuliani campaign is America's truest test.
Thanks JC
And, in 2000 they endorsed Gore and in 2004 they were the FIRST union to endorse Kerry.
Unlike the Law Enforcement traditionally Republican unions, the Firefighters are traditionally Democratic unions.
They don't have anyone else. They just don't.
Most everyone can rememeber the breathing mask Rudy was wearing walking down the streets of NY, yet he never made it mandentory for workers in that area to wear such masks. Now hundreds are dying with breathing problems from the cement dust and other problems in that air.
To most that seems minor, but picture a political ad showing him with an air filter mask along with the names of the deceased workers of the clean up.
Picture all the inner city people who were hurt with Rudy's policies before 9/11 in TV ads, about what was going on in that city till 9/11 happened. He was in line to be a failing mayor till 9//11 made him a national hero. Right now that is all most people know, just wait. In fact when it gets close to convention time and R debates, some of it may even come out by Romney, the next R candidate.
There are enough stories to demolish that Republican candidate and give a sweep of the electorial college to D's.