NY's Hottests And Their Dislike Of Rudy...

UNION'S RUDY SMEAR

July 15, 2007 -- "When a firefighters' union resorts to deceitful political stunts, it squanders the respect and credibility its members have sacrificed so much to earn.

Which is why firefighters, more than anyone, ought to be livid over their national union's shamelessly mendacious new video skewering former Mayor Rudy Giuliani for his handling of the attack on the World Trade Center.

Let's be clear: No one has a higher regard for The Bravest than we do.

No one.

Their record of heroism on 9/11 - and, indeed, every day of the week - is unassailable.

But, as Giuliani himself has said, firefighters have no "monopoly on caring" about the 343 of their members murdered in the attack. And their union's attempt to milk public support, sympathy and gratitude - in the name of some bargain-basement political cause - is simply despicable.

Nor, it must be said, is the public record of the FDNY heroes since that grim day entirely blemish-free.

Recall the near-riots that broke out when Giuliani - out of concern for the safety of firefighters, no less - tried to order some of them off the pile.

Remember the shoving and punching and throwing of objects - followed by the arrest of 18 firefighters, including one for striking a police officer.

Recall their resistance to wearing protective equipment during the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.

Yes, such behavior reflects their selfless commitment to their brethren and to finding their remains. Yes, to a degree, that's admirable.

But a failure to accept instructions could have put their safety and health - and that of others - at considerable risk, given the dangers at the site.

Meanwhile, the more than occasional fistfights between firefighters and cops - sometimes even at the scene of emergencies - are legendary.

New York's Bravest, and their leaders, have also had differences with Giuliani on a host of non-9/11 issues - not least, his decision to make cops higher in the pecking order when emergency-response and security issues arise.

But none of this excuses the blatant lies in the video released last week by the International Association of Fire Fighters. The flick all but holds Rudy responsible for the attacks themselves.

What's the union's beef, specifically?

It calls the idea that Giuliani provided leadership during the crisis an "urban legend." And says because of him, firefighters' radios didn't work and human remains were left in the debris.

These are vicious falsehoods, of course. Which is why Lee Ielpi, a former firefighter whose son died in the attack, and former Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Richard Sheirer, called the film a "disgrace."

"I was there. I saw it," said Ielpi, who worked at the cleanup at Ground Zero. "I'm not going to let lies like this go."

Here's the bottom line: On 9/11, New York was a safe, secure, well-run place - one that had been turned around, miraculously, from the chaotic, virtually lawless climate that prevailed before Giuliani took office.

Indeed, the restoration of order and renewed investment in the city helped Gotham withstand the attack in 2001 and spring back quickly.

Imagine if Giuliani's predecessor, David Dinkins, had been running the city up to, during and after 9/11. Dinkins, as mayor, took three whole days merely to end the Crown Heights riot. (Indeed, it took a physical threat against him by rioters for him to act.)

Meanwhile, Giuliani deserves every bit of praise for his leadership in the weeks after the attack. Not just for conveying confidence and calm, but also for assuring a smooth continuation of city government, despite huge obstacles.

And, of course, for running the most complex rescue, recovery and clean-up operation in U.S. history.

No one should be surprised that the IAFF is looking to impeach the integrity of a leading Republican presidential candidate. It has a record of supporting Democrats, like John Kerry and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Count on the union's endorsement of a Democrat for president next year.

But that's a pathetic reason to distort the truth and rewrite the facts about a sacred period in U.S. history. IAFF leaders owe it to their fallen brothers at least to be honest about that awful day."

David Dinkins was a hard act for any man to follow. As liberal as they come, his answer to lawlessness was to ask the police to try and be more understanding of why career criminals got that way and to extend kindness to them whenever possible. Rudy arrived at the peak of NY's lawlessness and the first thing HE said to police was that he didn't care how mickey-mouse they had to be in order to return order to the streets. Enforce EVERY law. Let the citizenry know that when that squad car cruises by or the cop on the beat is hoofing his patrol they will stop for any infraction and they will hand out summonses or make arrests..

Then there were the firemen.

The firefighters absolutely refused to don protective gear as they were sorting through the rubble on 9/11. They swarmed, and they pushed volunteers aside, and they told the cops to go to hell. They were so bullying that a great many citizen-volunteers refused to help and simply went home. In droves. The day of the attack, the police were driving flatbed trucks around the streets, all but begging able bodied men to come help. My brother and I worked our asses off for three days but enough was enough. Get even close to a pile of debris that might contain the remains of a fireman and they'd scream for you to move away, staking out more and more spots that were theirs and theirs alone. The rumor had gone out, an unsubstantiated rumor, mind you, that the dead fireman had rushed to the scene and were busily helping themselves to what was inside the shops beneath the WTC when the buildings came down. And the last thing any fireman wanted was for some civilian to overturn a pile of rubble to find one of their brothers surrounded by "retrieved" properties. They waved shovels, pickaxes, and pry bars at any of us who'd venture near an area designated as theirs, and while we could understand the need for them to dig out their own it was puzzling as to why they threatened us and the paid construction workers at every turn.

Rumors are rumors. Personally, I saw nothing but screaming, angry firefighters swarming over the toppled buildings and slugging it out with the cops over the smallest transgression. They were crazy men back then, and they're crazy men now for saying what they're saying about Giuliani. People who've never lived in NY haven't a clue as to how beautiful that city can be. And the man who made it so was Rudy. Warts and all.