IAFF: Open Letter to Brian Rice, California Firefighters President
Dear President Rice:
I watched your video.
I have a question or two.
You talk of being “attacked from within” and remind us that we need to have regard for our Constitution and “process.”
You also talk of firing staff who share information and recalling elected officials who do the same.
Surely you must know that Harold Schaitberger and his staff shared confidential information and denied due process to a member in 2009.
Yes, indeed, the man you now so strongly defend did the exact same thing he now objects to.
Darren Bates, IAFF member and local officer, had his life wrecked as Harold Schaitberger denied him both due process and confidentiality when Bates was falsely accused of a crime; Bates was rapidly acquitted at trial.
Please explain how that was not an “attack from within” and why Schaitberger should not be recalled for it?
Why is it OK for Harold Schaitberger to deny his members due process and then demand it for himself?
And, why is it OK for Harold Schaitberger to leak information to the press about his members and then scream bloody murder when information of his corruption is in the newspapers?
Do IAFF leaders, such as you and Schaitberger, enjoy a different set of ethical principles than the rest of us or do you operate without any at all?
In a rational world we choose leaders based on ability, honesty and commitment; where does that put you and Schaitberger, men whose ethics seem to change as the wind blows?
I am very interested in your response and thank you for your time.
Be well.
Respectfully,
Eric Lamar
