The" Results In: " Entry
Date: 9 June
Climate: swealteringsweatypants
Eating: --
Drinking: water
Feeling: working for a living
Listening to: THE SMITHS
Watching: those two men with the cords and staples again... we're like best friends now.
Reading: see below-->
It worked for once:::
Cheney touts terror fight in quick visit in town
(que robot commands)
Subhead (if any)
Byline
Steven Harmon / The Grand Rapids Press
Publication Date
6/5/2004
Edition(s)
All Editions
Page
A3
Section
City & Region
Keywords
Official; Trip
Comments
Graphic?
None
Correction Date (if any)
Correction Text (if any)
Word Count
559
Text of Story
The political backdrop was made to order: American flags and blue uniforms.
Vice President Dick Cheney couldn't pass up the opportunity, so, en route to an Illinois fund-raiser, he made a quick stop in Grand Rapids on Friday to pick up the endorsement of the Police Officers Association of Michigan at its annual meeting at the Amway Grand Plaza.
He used the endorsement to focus, in a 15-minute speech, on the cornerstone of the Bush administration's 2004 campaign: the war on terror.
"As we face this danger, we have one option: to take the fight to the enemy," Cheney said. "Terrorist attacks are not caused when we make use of our strength; they are invited by the perception of weakness. We will face the enemy (overseas) so we don't have to face the enemy with police, firefighters and medical personnel on the streets of our cities."
The POAM has 10,000 members, including members in the Kent County Sheriff's Department, as well as the Greenville and Grand Haven public safety departments. About 350 attended the speech.
"I liked the fact that he brought up the reason we're at war -- 9/11 brings back a lot of memories," said Tim Lewis, president of the Kent County POAM local union.
The Police Officers Labor Council of Grand Rapids has not endorsed either presidential candidate, said Ed Hillyer, its president.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe said in a conference call with reporters that Bush may have POAM's endorsement, but the International Brotherhood of Police Officers has endorsed Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the Democrats' presumed presidential nominee.
Cheney boasted that $8 billion has been allocated in training preparedness grants for first responders in the past 14 months and an additional $1.4 billion for 2005.
But opponents say the Bush administration has fallen short in helping first responders. The Bush administration cut $425 million in grants in this year's budget to first responders in local and state agencies, though it gave a 10 percent increase to Homeland Security, according to the local branch of the liberal activist group America Coming Together, which held a press conference earlier Friday at the Kent Ionia Labor Council building in Grand Rapids.
"George Bush embraced us at the World Trade Center on top of the rubble, so why he's not been appreciative of us at budget time is beyond comprehension," said William Smith, the local 366 chairman of the political action committee for the International Association of Firefighters.
U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, who accompanied Cheney at the Amway, said he would like to see a stronger effort to beef up security around presumed targets of terrorism, such as shipping ports.
"It was very important that the vice president express appreciation for what every police officer and firefighter does. These people are on the front line and many are not properly trained," Ehlers said.Outside the Amway, a small crowd of protesters stood at the corner of Pearl Street and Monroe Avenue as Cheney spoke.
"I'm opposed to the war," said Katherine Marty, 22, as she held a sign that read: "Stop the Corporate War Crimes -- Arrest Cheney."
Marty said she opposes just about everything the Bush administration has done since in office.
"I can point to no single initiative that they have put forward that hasn't ended in disaster," Marty said.
:::
I talked to this guy and he actually came, woo hoo...made my old journalism love come out again...so it was him and the local Fox affiliate (crap...and I saw Clarence Page on Fox last night and I really was confused. I generally like his column in the Trib.) Anyway--
Date: 9 June
Climate: swealteringsweatypants
Eating: --
Drinking: water
Feeling: working for a living
Listening to: THE SMITHS
Watching: those two men with the cords and staples again... we're like best friends now.
Reading: see below-->
It worked for once:::
Cheney touts terror fight in quick visit in town
(que robot commands)
Subhead (if any)
Byline
Steven Harmon / The Grand Rapids Press
Publication Date
6/5/2004
Edition(s)
All Editions
Page
A3
Section
City & Region
Keywords
Official; Trip
Comments
Graphic?
None
Correction Date (if any)
Correction Text (if any)
Word Count
559
Text of Story
The political backdrop was made to order: American flags and blue uniforms.
Vice President Dick Cheney couldn't pass up the opportunity, so, en route to an Illinois fund-raiser, he made a quick stop in Grand Rapids on Friday to pick up the endorsement of the Police Officers Association of Michigan at its annual meeting at the Amway Grand Plaza.
He used the endorsement to focus, in a 15-minute speech, on the cornerstone of the Bush administration's 2004 campaign: the war on terror.
"As we face this danger, we have one option: to take the fight to the enemy," Cheney said. "Terrorist attacks are not caused when we make use of our strength; they are invited by the perception of weakness. We will face the enemy (overseas) so we don't have to face the enemy with police, firefighters and medical personnel on the streets of our cities."
The POAM has 10,000 members, including members in the Kent County Sheriff's Department, as well as the Greenville and Grand Haven public safety departments. About 350 attended the speech.
"I liked the fact that he brought up the reason we're at war -- 9/11 brings back a lot of memories," said Tim Lewis, president of the Kent County POAM local union.
The Police Officers Labor Council of Grand Rapids has not endorsed either presidential candidate, said Ed Hillyer, its president.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe said in a conference call with reporters that Bush may have POAM's endorsement, but the International Brotherhood of Police Officers has endorsed Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the Democrats' presumed presidential nominee.
Cheney boasted that $8 billion has been allocated in training preparedness grants for first responders in the past 14 months and an additional $1.4 billion for 2005.
But opponents say the Bush administration has fallen short in helping first responders. The Bush administration cut $425 million in grants in this year's budget to first responders in local and state agencies, though it gave a 10 percent increase to Homeland Security, according to the local branch of the liberal activist group America Coming Together, which held a press conference earlier Friday at the Kent Ionia Labor Council building in Grand Rapids.
"George Bush embraced us at the World Trade Center on top of the rubble, so why he's not been appreciative of us at budget time is beyond comprehension," said William Smith, the local 366 chairman of the political action committee for the International Association of Firefighters.
U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, who accompanied Cheney at the Amway, said he would like to see a stronger effort to beef up security around presumed targets of terrorism, such as shipping ports.
"It was very important that the vice president express appreciation for what every police officer and firefighter does. These people are on the front line and many are not properly trained," Ehlers said.Outside the Amway, a small crowd of protesters stood at the corner of Pearl Street and Monroe Avenue as Cheney spoke.
"I'm opposed to the war," said Katherine Marty, 22, as she held a sign that read: "Stop the Corporate War Crimes -- Arrest Cheney."
Marty said she opposes just about everything the Bush administration has done since in office.
"I can point to no single initiative that they have put forward that hasn't ended in disaster," Marty said.
:::
I talked to this guy and he actually came, woo hoo...made my old journalism love come out again...so it was him and the local Fox affiliate (crap...and I saw Clarence Page on Fox last night and I really was confused. I generally like his column in the Trib.) Anyway--