NY Fire Battalion Chief Jim Riches: "We want America to know Giuliani is not the man he says he is"

[StefanX]

FIRE battalion chief Jim Riches brought up his son to be one of New York’s “bravest”, like him. The young Jim followed his father into the New York fire department and died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

What followed turned his heartbroken father into a relentless opponent of Rudy Giuliani, then mayor of New York. With other families of 9/11 victims, Riches has vowed to torpedo Giuliani’s prospects of winning the White House by attacking his greatest source of strength, his reputation as a hero that day.

“We’re going to follow him around the country,” said Riches. “We want all of America to know he is not the man he says he is.”
...
Several American news organisations are preparing exposés of the “untold story” of 9/11 after Giuliani’s dispute with the firefighters became embarrassingly public last week. He was the only leading presidential candidate not to appear at a Washington gathering of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which accused him of showing a “disgraceful lack of respect for the fallen” after the September 11 attacks.

Behind the union’s attack lies the grief and anger of families who believe their loved ones need not have died that day and their conviction that some bodies would never have been recovered had Giuliani had his way.

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.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1530535.ece

Giuliani was a FAILURE before, during and after 9/11. Just ask the families of the firefighters who died because of Giuliani's incompetence. They HATE him now for grandstanding and making money off of 9/11 like he was some kind of hero, when he was actually oblivious and incompetent.

More info here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=24707&mesg_id=24792

[MadBadger]

1. delete

[Terri S]

4. actually, if I remember correctly, that happened under Bloomberg

but NYers know full well who the REAL Guiliani is .. bout time the rest of the country did too. Hopefully it'll all come out and reach the masses.

[tk2kewl]

5. yes. Bloomberg closed the houses n/t

[ellacott]

2. These Firefighters are what the Swift Boat Veterans wish they could be

Credible voices

[11 Bravo]

3. Firefighting Veterans for Truth?

The only difference is that this group, unlike the Swifties, would actually recognize the truth if it bit them on the ass.

[Stephanie]

6. Everybody in New York hates him.

He's sleazy as hell.