NYFD - IAFF: Giuliani, GET LOST!
Freedom Fighter
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,257902,00.html
February 28, 2007
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On March 14, 2007, the IAFF will host the first bi-partisan Presidential
Forum of the 2008 election cycle. No other union - and very few
organizations - has the credibility and respect to attract top-tier
candidates from both political parties. The lineup of speakers who have
agreed to participate in our Forum is truly a testament to our great union
and the reputation we have built as a powerful political force and a coveted
endorsement.
John Edwards, John McCain, Barack Obama, Chuck Hagel, Hillary Clinton, Chris
Dodd, Joe Biden, Duncan Hunter and seven other candidates will make their
case before the 1,000 delegates who will be attending the Forum and to our
entire membership via same-day broadcast on our web site.
Early on, the IAFF made a decision to invite all serious candidates from
both political parties - except one: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
We made this decision after considerable soul-searching and close
consultation with our two New York City affiliates, the Uniformed
Firefighters Association Local 94 and the Uniformed Fire Officers
Association Local 854, as well as our former Local 94 President and current
IAFF 1st District Vice President covering New York.
The IAFF recognizes that Mayor Giuliani generally enjoys a favorable
reputation as a result of his actions immediately after the tragedy of 9/11.
As such, we want our affiliates and every one of our members to clearly
understand the reason and rationale behind this very serious and sober
decision.
Many people consider Rudy Giuliani "America's Mayor," and many of our
members who don't yet know the real story, may also have a positive view of
him. This letter is intended to make all of our members aware of the
egregious acts Mayor Giuliani committed against our members, our fallen on
9/11, and our New York City union officers following that horrific day.
Rest assured, our exclusion of Mayor Giuliani is not about any particular
contractual or policy issue or disagreement, nor is it based on his
unfriendly relationship with our New York City affiliates prior to 9/11 -
which we will document and explain in additional correspondence later on
during the campaign. In fact, we invited several candidates with whom we
have had substantial disagreement on policy issues because we feel very
strongly that our members have the right to hear from all candidates, not
just those who tow the IAFF line.
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.
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.
Prior to November 2001, 101 bodies or remains of fire fighters had been
recovered. And those on the horrible pile at Ground Zero believed they had
just found a spot in the rubble where they would find countless more that
could be given proper burial.
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.
In conjunction with the cut in fire fighters allowed to search, Giuliani
also made a conscious decision to institute a "scoop-and-dump" operation to
expedite the clean-up of Ground Zero in lieu of the more time-consuming, but
respectful, process of removing debris piece by piece in hope of uncovering
more remains.
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.
Our Local presidents at the time attempted to meet with the Mayor to stop
this despicable treatment of those who perished, but he refused to even see
them face-to-face.
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.
Giuliani modified his policy after the protest because public opinion was so
strongly with our members. Ultimately, he was forced to put the fire
fighters back on the pile. Our protests were later proven justified as more
bodies were ultimately recovered and those families given a chance for some
closure and a decent burial.
Giuliani argued that the change was for our own safety, but his argument was
empty and without substance. Fire fighters had been on that pile since
minutes after the twin towers fell - why all of a sudden, after nearly two
months working on the pile, was Giuliani concerned about fire fighter
safety?
In our view, he wasn't really concerned. The fact is that the Mayor's switch
to a scoop-and-dump coincided with the final removal of tens of millions of
dollars of gold, silver and other assets of the Bank of Nova Scotia that
were buried beneath what was once the towers. Once the money was out,
Giuliani sided with the developers that opposed a lengthy recovery effort,
and ordered the scoop-and-dump operation so they could proceed with
redevelopment.
In the first few days immediately after the disaster, Giuliani had said he
was committed to the recovery of those lost "right down to the last brick."
We believed him at the time. But, what he proved with his actions is that he
really meant the "last gold brick."
Giuliani crucified fire fighters after our protest and publicly stated that
our members were essentially acting like babies, that they didn't have the
market cornered on grief. His insensitive statements demonstrated his
inability to grasp what members of the FDNY were experiencing.
What Giuliani showed is a disgraceful lack of respect for the fallen and
those brothers still searching for them. He exposed our members and leaders
to arrest. He valued the money and gold and wanted the site cleared before
he left office at the end of 2001 more than he valued the lives and memories
of those lost.
Our members deserved the right to continue with a full search for their lost
brothers and other innocent victims. Proudly, as you know, the fire service
has a code similar to the military, where we leave no one behind. Recovering
even a piece of a turnout coat or helmet gave our FDNY brothers and sisters
and the families of the fallen some small semblance of peace, something to
honor. But hundreds remained entombed in Ground Zero when Giuliani gave up
on them.
The fundamental lack of respect that Giuliani showed our FDNY members is
unforgivable - and that's why he was not invited. Our disdain for him is not
about issues or a disputed contract, it is about a visceral, personal
affront to the fallen, to our union and, indeed, to every one of us who has
ever risked our lives by going into a burning building to save lives and
property.
We have heard from some affiliates that Giuliani's campaign is beginning to
reach out to our locals, looking to build support. If you are contacted by
Giuliani, Von Essen, or a representative of the Giuliani campaign, we hope
you will say not just, "No," but, "Hell no." And please let the IAFF
Political Affairs Department know about it by calling (202) 824-1582.
Please share this correspondence with your membership. Thank you.
Fraternally and Sincerely,
Harold A. Schaitberger, General President
Vincent J. Bollon, General Secretary-Treasurer and Past President, UFOA of
NYC, Local 854
Kevin Gallagher, IAFF 1st District Vice President and Past President, UFA of
NYC, Local 94
Stephen Cassidy, President, UFA of NYC, Local 94
Peter Gorman, President, UFOA of NYC, Local 854
---------------------------------
Though sworn to uphold our Constitution, by the end of 2002 the courts had
found Giuliani in violation of the First Amendment TWENTY SEVEN TIMES. Mayor
David Dinkins, his predecessor in office, bravely stated that Giuliani is
" - a bully, mean-spirited, and he rules through fear and intimidation." New
York's previous mayor, Ed Koch, has said that Giuliani " - uses the levers
of power to punish." Former schools Chancellor Rudy Crew, a one-time pal of
Giuliani, stated: "There's something very deeply pathological about Rudy's
humanity - - He was barren, completely emotionally barren, on the issue of
race." Giuliani's vile racism has even been acknowledged by his successor,
Mayor Bloomberg: "You forget that every single decision [in the Giuliani
administration], everybody, every story, everything was always couched in
terms of race" - quoted in the November 4, 2003 Daily News from Vanity Fair
magazine.
Among the many hypocrisies and arrogant abuses of power by "mayor morality"
was the assignment, at taxpayer expense, of several NYPD detectives as
round-the-clock bodyguards for his MISTRESS.
But the tyrant's own words say it best:
" - FREEDOM IS NOT A CONCEPT IN WHICH PEOPLE CAN DO ANYTHING
THEY WANT, BE ANYTHING THEY CAN BE. FREEDOM IS ABOUT AUTHORITY.
FREEDOM IS ABOUT THE WILLINGNESS OF EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING
TO CEDE TO LAWFUL AUTHORITY A GREAT DEAL OF DISCRETION ABOUT
WHAT YOU DO AND HOW YOU DO IT."
- Mayor Giuliani, quoted in the New York Times, March 17, 1994.
"State authority must provide for peace and order, and peace and order in
turn must conversely make possible the existence of state authority. Within
these two poles all life must now revolve...Ideas of 'freedom,' mostly of a
misunderstood nature, inject themselves into the state conceptions of these
circles." - Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf.
Berlin, Monday, Aug. 20, 1934 -- Eighty-nine and nine-tenths percent of the
German voters endorsed in yesterday's plebiscite Chancellor Hitler's
assumption of greater power than has ever been possessed by any other ruler
in modern times. Nearly 10 per cent indicated their disapproval. The result
was expected.
Werner
> both political parties - except one: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
The mayor of my city, a Democrat, questions the value of our very
expensive fire department. So do I. So should we all.