WTOL:
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani says today that he exposed himself to the same health risks as workers at ground zero after the September Eleventh, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Giuliani says he spent as much time at the site as those involved in the recovery. The Republican was in Cincinnati today as part of an evening concert led by conservative radio host Sean Hannity. The head of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association in New York says Giuliani is "trying to justify his previous attempts to portray himself as the hero of 9/11." .....and this from NY1.... Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is being criticized for comparing his own exposure to toxins at the World Trade Center site to that of first responders..... ....In response, the head of the Detectives Endowment Association said, "I don't think he rises to the level of being an equal with those men and women who were involved in the rescue, recovery and cleanup." ...However, some are questioning Giuliani's claims. From Forbes....
...The former New York mayor has faced criticism from relatives of some of the firefighters killed at the World Trade Center, who have contended that Giuliani was woefully unprepared for 9/11.
Last month, the parents and siblings of some of the 343 firefighters killed in the terrorist attacks released a video with the International Association of Fire Fighters, which opposes Giuliani's candidacy....
...Michael Palladino, head of the Detectives Endowment Association, the union of NYPD detectives, said the mayor's record can't compare to those who spent 12 months sifting through toxic debris for evidence and human remains."As a result of their hard work, many are sick and injured. The mayor, although he did a fine job with 9/11, I don't think he rises to the level of being an equal with those men and women who were involved in the rescue, recovery and cleanup," Palladino said....
People should remember that Giuliani's term of office was from January 1, 1994 until December 1, 2001. How can Rudy say that he was there in the clean up at Ground Zero that lasted for over a year? He was out of office within a few months after 9/11. Giuliani's claims about his own hero status is similar to those people who claim to have military careers but later are found out to be liars. Shame on Rudy for trying to put himself in the same category as the men and women of NYPD and FDNY. Shame on him.
***>UPDATE<***
It looks like the oatmeal has hit the fan!!!!
Rudy Giuliani drew outrage and indignation from Sept. 11 first-responders yesterday by saying he spent as much time - or more - exposed to the site's dangers as workers who dug through the debris for the missing and the dead.....
.....His statement rang false to Queens paramedic Marvin Bethea, who said he suffered a stroke, posttraumatic stress disorder and breathing problems after responding to the attacks.
"I personally find that very, very insulting," he said.
"Standing there doing a photo-op and telling the men, 'You're doing a good job,' I don't consider that to be working," said Bethea, 47.
Ironworker Jonathan Sferazo, 52, who said he spent a month at the site and is now disabled, runs a worker advocacy group with Bethea and called Giuliani's comments "severely" out of line.
"He's not one of us. He never has been and he never will be. He never served in a capacity where he was a responder," Sferazo said.....
Here is the best quote from that NY Daily News article:
"[Giuliani] is self-absorbed, arrogant and deluded," said IAFF spokesman Jeff Zack.
