Giuliani Is No 9/11 Hero
Posted August 13, 2007 | 02:42 PM (EST)
Etan Thomas
I have to say that I was absolutely shocked and quite disgusted when I
read
Giuliani's statement comparing the time he spent for photo opportunities
during 9/11 to the work of the firefighters. He was quoted as saying, "I
was
there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they
were
exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them." "This is not a mayor or a
governor or a president who's sitting in an ivory tower. I was at ground
zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers..."
He later apologized, making a claim that the way he came across was not
his
intention, but in my opinion, this doesn't sound like he simply misspoke.
How could a former mayor of NYC say he was there as much as the workers?
How
is that even possible? Furthermore, in his back-peddling, backtracking
statement on Friday, Giuliani said he was trying to show his concern for
the
workers' health?
"What I was trying to say yesterday is that I empathize with them,
because
I feel like I have that same risk," he said.
He didn't say that he empathized with the firefighters and workers,
anybody
with half a heart can do that. He said he was there more than them. This
is
clearly not the same and it's beyond a misspoken statement.
Being there in the forefront, in the area, has no comparison whatsoever to
being in the trenches as the firefighters were! The absolute audacity and
nerve of him to even think of comparing his "BEING THERE" with what our
real
heroes went through during that horrific period is beyond belief. He can't
compare himself with the firefighters hours, days of digging through the
trenches, under, and over the miles of debris in an effort to find a
single
survivor. He was plastered all over the TV screen, with his little white
hankie over his mouth walking the PERIMETER. That is nowhere near the
same.
I will say that on the surface, he brought the entire city of New York
together, as they were no longer separated by boroughs, racially divided
city blocks, or ethnic differences. On this day, they were all New
Yorkers.
His words of strength and courage were soothing and comforting to a city
in
utter shock, disbelief, and disarray. In his words, "Tomorrow New York is
going to be here," he said. "And we're going to rebuild, and we're going
to
be stronger than we were before."
However, I would encourage anyone who is disillusioned by the facade of
Giuliani being this big 9/11 hero to read Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins'
"Grand Illusion" which successfully demolishes any perception of his claim
to have helped with disaster recovery or preparedness in any way either
prior or post 9/11.
While Giuliani was about to begin his nationwide tour as "the man who
saved
New York," thousands of cash-strapped policeman, firemen, and city workers
engrossed with the burden of cleaning up at the World Trade Center were
developing cancers and infections and mysterious respiratory ailments like
the "WTC cough." This is the skeleton lurking in the closet of Giuliani's
9/11 hero image. While the task of cleaning up the Pentagon was turned
over
to federal agencies like OSHA, who immediately closed off the site and
made
it a requirement that every relief worker wear hazmat suits at all times,
the WTC cleanup was, for whatever reason, handed to Giuliani. The mayor
was
more focused on keeping his promise to the city of reopening downtown in
no
time, and less on the well-being of the workers. According to a memo to
the
city's Department Of design and Construction (DDC),"Project management
appears to only address safety issues when convenient for the schedule of
the project." Meaning that he was so concerned with impressing the entire
country with how fast he could turn things around that he sacrificed the
overall protection and health of the workers who deserved it most.
Respiratory masks were mandatory, but instead of making it a requirement,
this macho attitude began to spread across the site. Even Giuliani was
seen
at times walking around without a mask. By that October, it was estimated
that masks were only being worn 29% of the time by the workers. Giuliani
proclaimed that there were "no significant problems" with the air at the
World Trade Center, but unfortunately, this was far from the truth. The
site
was an extremely contaminated, deadly toxic area that should have been
sealed off and proper precautions should have been enforced. This space
was
full of everything from benzene, to asbestos and PCBs to dioxin (which is
the active ingredient in agent orange). In the aftermath of the cleanup,
police and firefighters have reported an abundance of serious illnesses.
They ranged from respiratory ailments such as sarcoidosis, leukemia, and
lymphoma, other cancers and immune system problems.
According to David Worby, an attorney representing thousands of cleanup
workers in a class-action lawsuit against the city, "Giuliani wears 9/11
like a badge of honor, but he screwed up badly." In a surprising move,
Giuliani actually wrote a letter to Congress to pass a law capping the
city's liability at 350 million dollars. I don't know what his rationale
could possibly be in doing this, but I do think that he has a lot of
explaining to do, most of all to the people of New York.
I am in no way saying that this was done on purpose. I'm sure he didn't
know
that the air at the World Trade Center was poisonous. Every gut instinct
of
mine tells me that this was not his intention but yet the consequence of a
thick, bull-headed, limelight craving man who got a little too big for his
britches. That's why we let the people who are qualified to do their
particular job, actually complete their task in their area of expertise.
We
don't pretend to know something that we don't just because the spotlight
is
on us, especially not when dealing with people's lives. The fact of the
matter is this, Giuliani should not have taken over the cleanup and
allowed
the more experienced federal agencies to run the show. He could have still
been involved, it was still his city, but he got in way over his head.
Sitting on top of brick piles for the cameras and instructing everyone in
a
very commanding way was definitely good for morale. It showed that he had
everything under control. The problem is, it should have been just a show.
The actual work should have been left to the experts. They would have
surely
put safety before expediency, and taken the proper measures to ensure the
well-being of our heroes.
It is a pointless contradiction to praise them for their heroic efforts if
you do nothing to prevent them from injury and harm. Being responsible for
putting our heroes in harm's way is the work of the Bush administration,
and
unfortunately, Giuliani has followed in line.
In describing his statements, deputy fire chief Jimmy Riches, who spent
months digging for his firefighter son said, "He is such a liar, because
the
only time he was down there was for photo ops with celebrities, with
politicians, with diplomats....On 9/11 all he did was run. He got that
soot
on him, and I don't think he's taken a shower since."
Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire
Fighters, said he doubted Giuliani's story. "I think he was simply showing
what his true character is -- a self-absorbed, self-deluded promoter who
got
caught and is now just simply trying to backtrack," Schaitberger said.
John Edwards' campaign manager David Bonior said in a statement,
"Evidently,
Rudy Giuliani has taken a break from reality. It is outrageous for
Giuliani
to suggest, in any way, shape or form, that he did more at ground zero or
spent more time there than the brave first responders who worked
tirelessly
around the clock for many months during the rescue and recovery
operation."
"It seems that Giuliani is determined to take every opportunity to exploit
the memory of 9/11 for political gain, rather than honor the incredible
sacrifices of our first responders," John Edwards added. "Enough is
enough.
Mayor Giuliani should start answering the serious questions of why
firefighters and other first responders didn't have proper equipment and
support."
I couldn't agree more.
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