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Edited on Sat Sep-27-03 04:22 PM by blm
Mods...full statement allowed:
Visit the International Association of Firefighters Web Site
Statement by Harold A. Schaitberger
General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters
Endorsement of Senator John Kerry for President
September 24, 2003
I am proud to announce that a few moments ago the IAFF Executive Board, the senior leadership of the fire fighters union, voted unanimously to endorse Senator John Kerry for President of the United States.
Next Monday, John and I will be together at a fire station in New Hampshire to formally kickoff the “Fire Fighters for Kerry Campaign,” accompanied by hundreds of professional fire fighters and their families from the Granite State and across New England. Then, we will move on to Iowa, South Carolina, Arizona, and other early primary states to join our members there on our road to electing John Kerry as our next President.
While America’s fire fighters have many reasons for supporting Senator Kerry’s candidacy, there are several that form the basis of our endorsement today. First and foremost, John Kerry represents the values that we, as fire fighters, embody and embrace. Just as fire fighters work on the front lines, under fire every day, so has John Kerry faced hostile fire as the gunboat he commanded fought its way up the Mekong Delta. Just as fire fighters have been hailed as heroes for their courage and their sacrifice, so has John Kerry been decorated as a war hero and recognized by his peers and his nation for his guts and his bravery.
Just as fire fighters are acknowledged as America’s domestic defenders, so has John Kerry proven his commitment to homeland security, backed by his extensive experience in defense issues and foreign affairs. Just as fire fighters protect the public from every conceivable emergency and disaster, so too has John Kerry protected the public for 30 years as a United States Senator, a hard-nosed prosecutor and a wartime Naval officer. John Kerry understands the true meaning of service and duty just as fire fighters do. We trust John Kerry because he is one of us.
John Kerry can win and he will win.
That’s because America’s fire fighters, the 260,000 men and women of the IAFF, who live, work, and protect 80 percent of the nation’s population in thousands of communities will be helping him across all 50 states and throughout all 435 congressional districts in this country. The latest polls show that John Kerry can defeat George Bush and help put our country back on track at a time when our nation is at a crossroads and the Bush Administration has thrust our nation into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. When we have watched a $5.6 trillion budget surplus evaporate into the highest federal deficits in history, after only two and a half years of Bush’s reign.
When 41 million Americans are without health insurance and many of them must call 911 and use our fire departments and costly hospital emergency rooms for basic medical care because they simply cannot afford a family Doctor. When the number of unemployed Americans has grown by 49 percent since Bush took office, and, when cash-starved state and local governments are being forced to layoff fire fighters and cut other essential municipal services to their citizens.
At a time like this we need someone with vision, integrity and experience to pull us out of this economic decline. And, the International Association of Fire Fighters knows that John Kerry has what it takes to do the job. He is a proven leader. He knows how to navigate Washington. He learned the hard way in Vietnam, in the courtroom, and in the halls of the U.S. Senate.
America’s fire fighters will be on the front lines of the Kerry campaign across this nation in the coming weeks and months just as we are on the front lines everyday to protect the safety of all Americans. And now John, let me give you the first “Fire Fighters for Kerry” T-shirt. I assure you that the public will be seeing a lot more of these gold and black shirts as this campaign moves forward to secure your nomination and ultimate victory on Election Day.
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