Fraternal Order of Police very anti-Kerry?

[friesianrider]

Just got this from my PA for Kerry Yahoo group - is this true? I had always given them $10 or $20, but if this is factual I'm not doing it anymore:

The Fraternal Order of Police, based in Nashville, has become perhaps the
most strident, Limbaugh-like detractors of John Kerry (among national labor
organizations) you're likely to find. How unbecoming an organization of their
stature. These guys are civil servants, and folks like you and me contribute to
law enforcement through our taxes AND voluntarily with cash donations.

Here's a sample of the Kerry-bashing coming from the FOP
(find it at http://www.grandlodgefop.org/press/pr041014b.html):

"While Kerry was flying around the country campaigning and leaving the
actual work of the nation to his colleagues in the Senate, the President was
out there working on our behalf," (FOP DIRECTOR Chuck) Canterbury said.
"Senators Kerry and Edwards have missed so many crucial votes this
Congress that I was beginning to believe there were only 98 members of the
U.S. Senate."

AND: "Canterbury also said it was the height of irony that Kerry would use his
position on the reauthorization of the assault weapons ban as a reflection of
his support from police. "First, if a police officer is killed by an AK-47, Kerry
would oppose the death penalty for the killer," Canterbury said. "In addition,
where was he when this issue was being discussed in the 108th Congress?
Where was he when we were working to pass H.R. 218? When it came time
to help push for final passage of legislation important to law enforcement,
Senator Kerry was regrettably A.W.O.L."

"Given the facts, I would greatly appreciate it if Senator Kerry would refrain
from making similar whimsical assertions regarding his support from the law
enforcement community," Canterbury said. "The real majority of my fellow
officers are standing behind President Bush, because he has been there for
us."

Is Karl Rove writing this stuff? "Whimsical assertions?" "98 members of the
Senate?" These things are being distributed to the media by the main office of
the FOP in Nashville.

If you are a financial contributor to your local police department, you might
want to contact them and find out whether they're affiliated with the FOP (they
probably are). If so, register your displeasure with this partisan political crap
coming from their national office; urge them to tell Chuck Canterbury to pull
the Kerry-bashing, Rove-ian press releases off their Communications page.
Make sure you identify yourself as a financial supporter of law enforcement.

[porphyrian]

1. FOP is a sleazebag organization.

They claim to help the families of police men and women who lose their lives in the course of duty, but they pocket the majority of the money collected for themselves. Some of my friends worked as phone sluts and had a contract with FOP.

[friesianrider]

2. Well they won't get any more money from me...

When they called they always got something...not anymore.

[agingdem]

3. Fraternal order?...

Do you think they have "666" tattooed on their scalps?

[Q]

4. Bush* was working on your behalf?

- How so? By cutting the funding for first responders? By giving another tax cut to the richest Americans?

- This organization does NOT represent most cops.

[susanna]

5. I'm the daughter of a retired police officer

FOP member. They used to be a decent organization but like everything else have had their leadership board taken over by right wingers. I used to donate a lot to them each year, but I stopped when they endorsed * in 2000. They haven't improved since, sadly.

[Free2BMe]

6. Does this give new meaning to cop macho - - - -heads...?