Kerry outlines his plan for the War on Terror: Calls for more firefighters, cops

John Kerry Website ^ | March 15, 2004 | nwrep

[nwrep]

Here is the money quote:

If I am President, we will work toward victory in the War on Terror knowing that those on the frontlines of this battle are heroes, not political props. That the needs of our first defenders will never be left for last.

Here's what we will do:

We will pass the SAFER Firefighters Act, fund the FIRE Act, and create the Father Mychal Judge Fund to hire 100,000 new firefighters across America.

And while we're at it, we will restore the COPS funds President Bush eliminated. We should be putting more cops on the beat not laying them off.

[binger]

[ladtx]

...to hire 100,000 new firefighters ...

So in other words his solution is to put out the fires and clean up the rubble left by the terrorists rather that preventing it in the first place. Yeah, he gets my vote. < /sarcasm>

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Sound familiar?Clinton wanted 100,000 more cops!Somebody needs to tell Kerry the problem is NOT DOMESTIC TERRORISM!The "democratzis" think terrorism is a bunch of white boys(racial and gender profiling)who own guns.Who is this "knothead" trying to kid?

[Mike Darancette]

If police officers and fire fighters are to be the first line of defense against terror the the weapon of choice will be body bags.

[hobbes1]

...to hire 100,000 new firefighters ...

Exactly. That quote, rightly continued would say....."because by the time I eviscerate the national defense and intel budgets, Al Qaeda wont be blowing up things in foregin lands, they'll be doing it here."

[Mr. Buzzcut]

So, his plan centers around what happens AFTER a terror attack, rather than on eliminating the Jihadists? Bright man.

[camas]

all he is trying to do is put MORE UNION DUES in the democRAT coffers!! the RATS do not care what happens to the masses

[Enduring Freedom]

Here is what I believe about Kerry and the War on Terrorism.

What is most astonishing is the amount of ignorance in the West about warfare.

The Japanese suicide bombers were unstoppable.

Until we dropped nuclear bombs downtown on 'innocent' civilians of their nation to exorcise their cultural demons.

We will never win by playing defense, or attacking the shadowy terrorists directly. Never.

But with the West burdened with Kerry, CNN, the EU and the UN as our mortal enemies, we do not yet have the sense, courage and foresight to do what is necessary.

What Bush did in Iraq was brilliant.

For every terrorist attack on America, we take down a country supporting Radical Islam.

Kerry and the Hollywood idiots just don't get it, and YOU and YOUR family will likely suffer tragedy due to these appeasing idiots.

I have ZERO respect for Spain and no use for Spaniards. EVER.

[BenLurkin]

Is this satire?

His plan for defense is old fashioned big government tax and spend?

[Old North State]

Notice that these Kerry plans for fighting terrorism are based on what to do after a US domestic attack. His plans are based on the assumption that we can only fight the enemy on US soil, so the requirement is to clean up after the fact and try to find and punish the guilty. This comports with the left's desire to conduct the war on terror not as a military campaign, but as crimes against the law in the courts. Trouble is that that the victims are already dead and our cities already destroyed. The police and firefighters have no duty to protect citizens "ex ante" from harm, they are engaged after crimes have been committed of after disaster has struck. If we wish to carry the fight to the enemy all the police radios in the world will not help, no matter how well intentioned.

[petitfour]

Cops funds? My locality took matters into their own hands and began handing out more tickets. (we got one.) Not to mention property taxes going up because property values are rising so rapidly. Why can't other places do their part in enforcing laws?

And what about unionized postal workers? Where's their piece of the John Kerry Terrorism-fighter pie? They were victims of the unsolved anthrax terrorism. They should get funding, too. Or should they just raise postal rates? And tax email?

[null and void]

Did he remember the need to recruit more undertakers???

[twigs]

Hmm. Now I see why the Firefighters Union support this man. It's just the same old dem story.

[Starrgaizr]

From NEWSMAX.COM:

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2004 11:45 p.m. EST

Kerry Pledges Return to Clinton Terrorism Policies

Democratic presidential front-runner John F. Kerry pledged on Saturday that if he becomes president he'll treat terrorist acts against the U.S. as a law enforcement problem rather than as acts of war - the approach favored by President Clinton throughout the 1990s as Osama bin Laden repeatedly struck U.S. targets with impunity.

Speaking before a group of Oklahoma City firefighters, Kerry complained that the Bush administration "doesn't understand the war on terror."

Under a Kerry administration, he said, the fight against terrorism "will involve the military now and then," but it will be "primarily an intelligence-gathering, law enforcement operation."

"It's a great big manhunt," Kerry explained. "[The Bush] administration has translated that legitimate threat into a completely wrongheaded kind of full-fledged military response."

Since 9/11, U.S. terrorism experts have said that the Clinton administration's legalistic approach to fighting al-Qaeda not only proved ineffective - it actually emboldened bin Laden to the point where he thought he could launch an attack on U.S. soil without prompting a serious military response.

Indeed, in a 2002 speech to New York business leaders, Mr. Clinton himself cited legal concerns as an excuse for his decision not to have bin Laden arrested five years before the 9/11 attacks.

"At the time, 1996, he had committed no crime against America," said Clinton. "So I did not bring him here because we had no basis on which to hold him, though we knew he wanted to commit crimes against America."

[Teacher317]

Kerry outlines his plan for the War on Terror: Calls for more firefighters, cops

In other words, let the terrorists do what they want, but have plenty of body bags and paperwork ready to go as follow-up.

[truthingod]

I wonder how Kerry expects to pay for all the fireman and cops? You can be sure it is part of the $900 billion in new taxes Bush has pointed out. If not, then Kerry had better step up and explain his finances.

[unixfox]

We should be putting more cops on the beat not laying them off.

I agree, we need more cops stopping violent seat belt violaters, those darn cigarette smokers, dope smokers, cell phone users, etc,etc...

I mean it's not like we have open borders to protect or anything like that.

[truthingod]

It is disgusting to see the firefighters turn tail on President Bush. The President honored them with great respect and gave them a place in the national heart at a time when they needed our support. Now they run like cowards when the demorats mouths tell them to. This is wrong.

[lizma]

It's not the firefighters who are supporting Kerry, it's their union guys. Big difference.