#and Vince as i mentioned is wonderful he is so kind and during a Zoom we had he stayed on with me and a few others telling us about how he | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rawiswhore · 4 years

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Bart Gunn x Fem Reader- “Do The Bartman”

I'm about to type perhaps the world's only Bart Gunn fanfiction.

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In 1998, the WWF has a new look, a new logo, a new era and a vast difference to the WWF of yore.

Stone Cold Steve Austin is now the face of the company, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Lex Luger, Kevin Nash, Sunny/Tammy Sytch and other 90's WWF wrestlers are gone, Isaac Yankem is now Kane, Hunter Hearst Helmsley is Triple H and no longer a classy 1800's Jane Austen gentleman, and Marlena is now Terri Runnels.

The WWF audience went from hardly holding up any signs throughout the 90's to the entire audience filled with people holding up signs and posters.

This year, you're really blown up in popularity in the WWF, making people forget about Sunny, guest starring on various TV shows, being considered for movie roles, being on the cover of non-wrestling magazines, and even making headline news.

1998 is your year.

It's the year the Attitude Era really began and blew up, the WWF began calling itself WWF Attitude and they really cranked the attitude up that year.

Even though this year there are many things in the WWF that are really going over with the audience, which includes yourself, there was something in the summer of 1998 during the Attitude era that didn't quite connect and go over with wrestling fans, even back then.

What was it?

The Brawl for All.

Where lower card wrestlers such as the Godfather, Johnny Maro, and other wrestlers that don't headline the WWF a la Stone Cold and the Rock box.

As in, do Muhammad Ali/Joe Frazer/Mike Tyson/Evander Holyfield boxing.

Except these wrestlers have almost no training in boxing and it doesn't involve ears being bitten off.

Even during the Attitude era, the Brawl for All didn't go over.

There is a certain wrestler in the Brawl for All who never did quite make it big in the wrestling world besides perhaps with the Smoking Gunns and sadly, the Brawl for All.

Who is he?

Bart Gunn.

The former partner to Billy Gunn in the Smoking Gunns and a partner in the severely short lived, one night only New Midnight Express.

Bart is the Marty Jannetty to Billy's Shawn Michaels.

Bart looks so much better now with longer hair, no facial hair, and without that cowboy look he had a few years ago.

He was pretty cute in 1996/1997, but Billy was the hotter one, and in 1998 he's gotten a lot hotter.

He looks like Val Kilmer and Randy Orton with long hair.

Since Bart has grown his hair out and shaved his face, you've gotten a crush on him, and even though he really wasn't used that much in the WWF besides the Brawl for All, now is your chance.

The Brawl for All is when people see him the most during his sexiest (in your opinion).

One night, in August of 1998, when Bart showed up for every Brawl For All, after a match he did was over, he walked back to the locker room, shirtless and completely sweaty.

When he entered the locker room, you were waiting for him in there, standing there topless, albeit a towel was hanging behind your neck and covering your breasts, and some short boxing shorts.

The camera showed you dressed in this outfit, and the males (both grown men and underage boys) in the audience offscreen got out of their seats and started cheering, going "yyyyyyyyyyyeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!".

You could even hear some of those corny "wolf whistles" in the audience.

You could hear the pops from the males outside, even if they were shown off screen.

"Well, aye carrrrumba Bart" you purred, walking up to him and your lips spreading a naughty smile, rolling the "r" in the word "carumba".

"Aye carumba, indeed!" Jerry Lawler shrieked. "Don't have a cow, Bart!"

You were standing right in front of Bart, your torso pressing against his torso, he looked surprised, his eyes growing bigger and mouth breaking out in a smile.

"Bart" you said, pressing your chest on his chest and your eyes looking up at him. "You're probably the sexiest man in the WWF right now".

Though, many women will beg to differ.

"Triple H grew that facial hair" you said, your eyes looking down at his chest and your index finger running up and down his sweaty chest. "That made me lose my attraction to him".

You stuck your bottom lip out and pouted in sadness.

"He is getting a little sexier now that he's shaved it this month" you admitted. "Though he's not as hot as he used to be".

Your eyes were eying Bart's body up and down.

Offscreen, some of the women in the audience got out of their seats and cheered, agreeing with you about how Triple H did lose his looks when he grew that facial hair.

"And Shawn Michaels hasn't been here during the majority of this year" you pouted, your face looking sad and glum, your eyes looking down at the floor.

All of the females in the audience screamed and shrieked their heads off, some of them going "yyyyyyyyyeaaaaaaaahhhh!!" and one woman shouting "You go, girl!".

"Though he has returned" Bart replied, saying that matter of factly.

Your eyes looked back up at him again, your lips breaking out into a faint little smile.

"But only temporarily" you frowned, your lips turning down into a frown (that rhymed) and your eyes looking down at the floor again.

Which is a shame, he got even sexier when he returned in the summer of 1998.

"And Billy Gunn has cut his hair!" you whined.

Why did Billy cut his hair into that silly little Backstreet Boys hair?

Plus, Rob Van Dam is back in ECW, the Hardy Boyz and Davey Boy Smith cease to exist, and even Bret Hart has left the company.

"But there is that cute little Val Venis" you mentioned, your eyes looking up at him and your lips widening your face to create a naughty, shit eating grin.

You and Val Venis are a match made in heaven, considering he's a ladies' man and porn star, and your character is a slutty nymphomaniac.

Some women in the audience even got out of their seats and cheered for you.

Many people would ship you and Val and say the two of you should form a tag team together.

Val is pretty hot, but he's kind of a butterface.

"But he's not as cute as you are" you purred, wrapping and draping one of your arms behind his head, your forearm resting across his shoulders, your voice sounding sexy and seductive.

Though your voice almost always sounds sexy and seductive, that's your character.

And speaking of Val Venis, you may as well say this...

"Bart, your last name is Gunn" you mentioned. "Does that mean you have a big 'gun' in your pocket?"

One of your hands was in between his thighs, grabbing onto his balls, although they were covered by his shorts and the camera was showing you and Bart above the forearms.

Bart looked down when he felt you grab his nuts.

He couldn't help but giggle sheepishly and embarrassedly.

"And is your gun cocked, loaded and ready to shoot?" you added.

People in the audience, both men and women, yelled and shouted when you said that.

You sounded like Triple H with his sexual innuendo in D Generation X.

Bart was speechless and didn't know what to say.

"Y'know, it's fitting you're a boxer in the Brawl for All" you purred. "Because you're a total knockout".

Ba-dum-tssssssh.

No, that sound effect didn't happen, but it may as well.

That joke is a classic corny dad joke.

"I may as well say that about her!" Jerry Lawler shrieked.

The camera then zoomed in to your face, where your face turned and you looked at the camera.

"I'm about to do the Bartman" you said. "And get bent!"

Wonder if the audience remembers that song and knows what it's referencing?

Everyone in the audience got out of their seats and cheered for you, not because of the Bart Simpson references, but because it's implied you're about to have sex with him.

Nobody better lay a finger on Bart (Gunn)'s butterfinger except for you.

The camera then zoomed out, now showing your head, neck and torso as well as Bart Gunn.

"You don't have to eat my shorts, Bart" you told him, both of your hands gripping onto the elastic waistband on your hips and pulling your shorts down. "But you can eat what's under them"

The camera didn't show your vulva or below your ass, but people could see you pull your shorts down.

Everyone in the audience, especially the males, got out of their seats and cheered their heads off, going absolutely nuts.

The camera then cut away from this, which definitely disappointed the people in the audience who hoped to see you and Bart get it on.

The whole point of this was to show some Bart Simpson-related sexual innuendo.

And next year, actually, at the end of 1999, when Stone Cold Steve Austin added beer to his character and gimmick, you, in a comedic moment, gave Stone Cold a white polo shirt, blue jeans, a box of pink donuts and a 6 pack of beer.

Why?

Because he, to you, looks like a redneck Homer Simpson with his bald head and beard, complete with his infatuation with beer.

Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon is probably the most iconic feud of the Attitude era, and when you think about it, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon is like Homer Simpson and Mr. Burns.

Why?

Homer and Stone Cold are bald, bearded men who love beer, and Vince and Mr. Burns are Stone Cold and Homer's billionaire bosses.

#bart gunn #1998 #90s #wwf #attitude era #fanfiction

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firefighterkingdom · 4 years

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#12 – General President Harold Schaitberger | Special Edition – 2020 Election & More

SPECIAL EPISODE – We have General President Harold Schaitberger with us today! General President of the International Association of Firefighters since 2000. Harold A. Schaitberger is the ninth president in the IAFF’s 100-year history, and was the first to have been elected by acclamation in 2000. And in 2019 the IAFF endorsed Joe Biden for President – hear the reason why General President Schaitberger believes Biden is the best person for the job.

Robert Sanchez: All right. So we’re back with, FireFighter Kingdom. I’m your host, Robert Sanchez and my co-host, Vince Trujillo is here and we have a very special guest, a real treat for firefighters, which really needs no introduction. We have General President Harold Schaitberger. Thank you, Mr. President, for being with us today.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Robert, it’s great to be on your podcast. I’m looking forward to it.

Robert Sanchez: You know, we were just talking, sir. I’ve always thought of you as a great leader, how you always pick up the phone and talk to your locals across the United States and Canada. With 300,000 members, that’s amazing and I truly appreciate it. And I think that’s what makes you a great leader and second to none.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, I appreciate that, but I really feel like I’m the one blessed and privileged to be able to be part of the leadership team of this IAFF and every day, again, it’s just a joy to be able to work with all of our leadership, like yourself, all across 50 states, nine Canadian provinces, 3,600 local unions. So yeah, I look forward to it every day, to be able to engage all of you that are really doing the tough work out there in the field.

Robert Sanchez: Right. And I appreciate that, sir. So on this camera, we’re on the Zoom thing, where this COVID-19 really has us doing everything Zoom-wise, and so that camera, we put a better lens on there so I look skinnier from the last time I seen you. What do you think?

General President Harold Schaitberger: I think you really look very svelte.

Robert Sanchez: So real petite, right?

So, I did some driving on my way into this podcast this morning. I was just thinking, how amazing was you growing up and you working for Fairfax County, and just real quick? How did you get into even being a union leader in Fairfax County, starting at a young age?

General President Harold Schaitberger: I’ll try to make it a quick story, but it’s a it’s a long journey. It really started, Robert, when I was in my junior year in high school and not to be overly dramatic, but I had some challenging environment at home, and being raised by a single mom. And there was a gentleman, a friend of hers, that was a firefighter, Thomas A. Gaines Jr. And he gave me what became the opportunity of a lifetime. He gave me a chance to come to the firehouse, Station Eight, Annandale, Virginia, and live, and finish out my junior and senior year in high school at the firehouse. And it was an incredible experience because I got to be around all of you, and around that kitchen table. And it was at that point that I knew that’s all I ever wanted to do.

And I had had to wait till I was 20 years old. So I waited a couple of years working in a grocery store, then to go on the job in Fairfax County on August 1st, 1966. And it was the greatest moment in my life at that point. But it was a county in Virginia, that’s in the South at the time, still in the South, but really the deep South in those days, very anti-union, the department was run the old way, my way or the highway, there were no contracts, collective bargaining was actually illegal. There were really no grievance procedures. And so in a department of five or 600 firefighters, a handful of us decided in 1970, I’m four years on the job, watching the local unions in Washington, DC and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, that we realized, “You know what, we should have a union.”

And in 1970 we did our work. The IAFF came in with a couple of staff members and we organized local 2068. And it was chartered in July of 1970, and I became the first president of that local. And that’s when I really began my IAFF journey, back in 1970, now some almost 51 years ago. I got a chance to run that local. I became, as you are, president of your state of New Mexico, I was three years later, elected president of Virginia, hopefully helped to build that state. And then in 1976, I was asked by the General President at that time of the IAFF, Howie McClennan, if I’d consider coming over to headquarters and helping to build a political and legislative operation. And that’s what I did. I started here, I’m in my office now, but I started this building at the IAFF International on June 1st, 1976. So that’s the Schaitberger journey into this wonderful union of ours.

Robert Sanchez: Yeah, that’s interesting, especially being that when you first started it, wasn’t a union department at all and you just turned it around. We all know, for those of us who have dealt with that for a little bit, we know how it is and how it can be tough. So I’m sure it was tough during that time, and I appreciate it. Even being, you’re 20 years as president now, roughly right. And just amazing how we have over 300,000 members, or 322,000 members and just, what was the driving force? How were you so successful in getting that many members in IAFF?

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, Robert, as you know, no one person is responsible for any of the great success of our locals or our States or this international, but we all get to play an important role. And year 2000, when I was first elected General President, we had just about 200,000 members, and we wanted to continue to look for ways for firefighters all across the United States and Canada, not to try to get them into our union, but to provide the kind of representation to work and improve their careers, to make sure their benefits were strong. That if we built a successful union, that firefighters will want to be a part of the IAFF.

And in simple terms, that’s what we did. We built a number of very successful programs. We had a very successful legislative operation. We had built a incredibly important research operation, and education, and all the different components that made IAFF not just successful, but really improved the lives and the livelihoods of those men and women out there that are on the frontline every day. And that is really the simple truth to how we have grown over 120,000 members in the last 20 years.

Robert Sanchez: Right. Well, speaking about, like you just mentioned, some of the great opportunities that you’ve had for our members. Just even E18, the financial corporation, my God, we have the Center of Excellence, that’s been a huge success for firefighters across the nation. I personally know firefighters that went there and was very successful, helped them and their families, it helped their careers. And I think frankly, sir, I think it saved some lives, to be honest with you.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, and I think about some of the major programs that, again, that we’ve had success with, probably many of our members who rely on NFPA standards, for example, NFPA 17- 10, right? The stacking stamp. We passed that in 2001, and we had to organize and brought a thousand leaders to the NSFA convention in order to mandate and pass NFPA 17-10, that now became the standard to require adequate and safe staffing throughout the fire departments in the United States and Canada.

We created what’s called the Guardian Program. Many of our members wouldn’t particularly have a reason to know of that term, but our leadership understands that that Guardian Program we created was to guarantee and protect our leadership, that if they had an adverse action taken against them for doing their constitutionally guaranteed work as union leaders, that this union would bring its checkbook and its lawyers, and make sure that our members’ rights were protected. That terminations were put back to work, that demotions were given back their ranks, and to make sure that they would uphold, and more importantly protected, so they could continue to provide union leadership at the local level.

That was an incredibly important program for our union, that gave local leaders the confidence to know that, “If I step out on behalf of my members, and unfortunately I get a chief, or a city council, or a mayor who wants to take actions against me for doing my union work, that I know I’ve got this IAFF behind me.”

As far as the financial corporation, Robert, it was simply an idea to do three things, one, to provide good financial services to our members, good deferred compensation opportunities. It was to, quite frankly, take a little bit of bite out our adversary, ICMA. ICMA Retirement, International City Management Association, was managing our members’ money, using the profits to work against us on every single standard, code and legislative proposal. So we decided we’ll stand up our own company. Good services, take a hit at our, quite frankly, our enemy, and create a revenue stream for this IAFF. And it was 18 years ago that we started with zero participants and zero assets, and today we have $10.8 billion in assets and 160,000 participants, and generating millions of dollars every year into this IAFF of ours, and those dollars not coming out of our members’ paycheck. Another way to grow this union. Another way to grow this unit.

The Center of Excellence was our work to recognize the behavioral health challenges so many of our members face, the post-traumatic stress and to understand that they always used to be, “Hey, if you’re going to be tough, stuff it down. If you can’t take it, you’re on the wrong job.” Well, the fact of the matter is that our members have silent injuries. Our members have difficulty often time, at work, with family because of their emotional and their mental health challenges.

So yeah, this union said, “We’ve got to do more than just talk about it. We got to create something to really help our members.” That was the idea behind creating the Center of Excellence. Now, it’s been an unbelievable success. 2000 of our brothers and sisters coming through their treatment and being sent home to be able to enjoy their careers again, to keep their families together, and fortunately to stay alive, knowing that too many of our members find such despair that they decide that taking their own life is their only way out. No, this union created this structure opportunity and a benefit to save our members and to serve our members and to help them heal. It’s been an incredible success.

Robert Sanchez: It has been. I’ve had the distinct honor to actually tour … I made a special trip down there that actually toured to see where some of our members from New Mexico had benefited from the Center of Excellence. I went to tour it because I want to see where our members are going and what’s going on over there, just so I can come back and be an advocate for it. It definitely is a state of the art facility. I know members who went there and I could honestly say it saved their life because they told me it did. They come back or to their career in the fire service and to their family. As you know, General President, it’s not the firefighters that are the only ones suffering. All their families also do, at no fault to their own.

General President Harold Schaitberger: That’s right. Well, just know this, Robert. Take comfort knowing that we are in the negotiations right now for a facility property in Southern California because we’re going to be opening up our second Center of Excellence-

Robert Sanchez: Very nice.

General President Harold Schaitberger: So that we can better serve our members in the western part of the United States.

Robert Sanchez: Very nice. That’s good to know. What date do you think that might be coming or what year?

General President Harold Schaitberger: I think that probably … this whole COVID-19 environment is thrown some roadblocks in our work, but I’m going to say that I’d like to think the center will be up and actually running probably in about a year. Maybe late summer next year. We’re looking at the facility, we’re in negotiations with ARS, who’s our partner in these facilities, and I’m confident that we’ll be securing that property, but then we have to build it out and then we have to staff it. So I’m going to say, hopefully, it will be up and running in about a year.

Robert Sanchez: Good. Very nice. Just talking about helping out some of our New Mexico members, I can’t help but to mention everything that you and the IFF have done for New Mexico. I know that you take pride in making sure that your members have a seat at the table, especially the leadership in our state and across United States, but in New Mexico in particular because we have political action and what we’ve learned from the IFF and we use it in the state of New Mexico. And just what you’ve done for our legislature, making sure that we have a seat at the table. I appreciate that. We have a great governor here, Michelle Lujan Grisham, as you know, and she loves the IFF and she loves working with you so we’re real fortunate and I want to thank you for that.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, I appreciate that and I’m not trying to be facetious here, Robert, but I always ask our leadership, even though I know how it’s meant, but you don’t have to thank this IFF for what we do. You’re entitled to what we do. You’re a part of our union and you should expect this IFF is going to back your play, invest in your political opportunity, support your legislative efforts. That’s why we exist. I always recognize that no matter how largest the IFF is, here, Washington DC, big headquarters, where the real work is done is out there. Where the real work is done is out on the ground at our state legislatures and our city councils and our county governments.

General President Harold Schaitberger: This IAFF is responsible to provide every resource we can to all of you, the leadership out on the ground, to help make sure that you win many more victories than the few that you may lose and that you make use of every opportunity and defeat every challenge that comes your way.

So New Mexico is a kind of special place for me. I’ve had a lot of great friends. I go back a long time in your state, and it’s always been a pleasure to watch the growth and the success that you’ve experienced there in New Mexico.

Robert Sanchez: Well, thank you very much. I can’t help but mention, talking about the whole COVID thing. I mean, it’s down our throats every day and talking about politics, there in Washington, I know the IFF was able to assist in politics quite a bit for the COVID-19 stuff. I mean, we’re talking about money, protections, waivers that the IFF has done a great job doing. I mean, I know we were successful, but how was that working with politicians during this COVID 19-

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, you have those that really are supportive and you have those who are difficult. For example, you mentioned the waivers, and I know you’re referring to the waivers for our SAFER program, which is basically the federal government grant program that we created, by the way. This IAFF passed back in the early 2000s. It’s simply as resources provided to local governments or keeping firefighters working and to hire more firefighters. The waivers came about because the original program required city governments to match the federal funds that required certain performance standards. It only lasted a certain period of time. We learned during the recession of 2010/11, that we needed to dispense with all those bureaucratic requirements and rules, that what our local governments needed was resources. Get the money out there to be able to bring firefighters back to work who were laid off, to prevent firefighters from being laid off that are being threatened by pink slips. And in those cases where departments really can grow, to help them grow.

Well, it took a pretty aggressive meeting with the acting secretary of Department of Homeland security, Wolf, to finally get him to agree to put the waivers in place. Most of our members will never fully understand. I understand that. What that means or how that even affected them. But we as union leaders know it was critical.

Robert Sanchez: Absolutely.

General President Harold Schaitberger: As far as the COVID moment, we worked with the federal reserve in order to make sure that 500 plus billion dollars was put into a local municipal liquidity fund to help our local governments that are going to experience a reduction in their revenues, to be able to meet their needs so that we don’t have to have firefighters threatened with losing their jobs. We work with Congress to pass the First Heroes Act. Excuse me, the CARE Act, which provided $150 billion out of local governments. Provided an additional a hundred million dollars for the SAFER program, and now working with Congress on this fourth COVID package called the Heroes Act that will provide possibly up to another $500 billion to local and state government.

All of this is to keep our governments up and running, to keep our governments that more times than not have to operate on a balanced budget. They can’t run a debt. So if revenues are down when the economy shrinks in so many ways as it has and businesses close up, people are losing their jobs and tax revenues shrink up. Well, governments have little choice, but find where they can cut. Too many times those cuts affect our members. So yes, we’re using Congress, we’re using the administration, we’re using all of our tools in order to try to help underpin the financial challenges that our local governments are beginning to face and will face over the course of the next many months.

Robert Sanchez: Oh, great. We’ve talked about before, we help those who … whoever helps us, we help them. As firefighters, we make sure if you’re not going to help us, we’re not going to have your back. So speaking to that, I mean, I want to bring up, in April, 2019, we endorsed Joe Biden for president. I hope it works out and he seems to be a great man and I know he works for firefighters.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, first of all, we’re never overconfident, but we’re very confident that Joe Biden’s going to be the next president of the United States.

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: There’s no question in my mind that that’ll be the case. But why Joe Biden? I understand our membership, Robert. I know our membership. That’s why I said, I’ve been a part of this for 51 years and I’ve always said it. Our membership is like a perfect reflection of the political landscape in our country. We have Republicans, we have Democrats, we have conservatives, we have some progressives. We have independents that choose not to identify with a party and to be real honest, we have a lot of members that don’t like politics at all. They think it stinks.

Robert Sanchez: Absolutely.

General President Harold Schaitberger: But our responsibility is to know that everything ultimately is dictated in the political arena. Every decision that affects our country, our citizens, our children, our work, everything ultimately comes from-

Our work, everything ultimately comes back to. You can follow that thread, that everything comes back to a decision made by someone elected out of that political arena. Local government, state government, federal government. And so our job has always been to get into that arena, knowing that we’ve got a membership, that’s not going to universally agree with any single decision, but to do as a union what our principal is, and that is supporting those that support firefighters, supporting those who have a history of supporting us, yes, as a union, and then returning that loyalty. And it was a simple, easy decision for our executive board because Joe Biden had been supporting this union for 44 years. Joe Biden has led the charge on our behalf going back to the original enactment of the Public Safety Officers Death Benefit Program in 1976, and every program since. Every step along the way. He has not just signed on bills, but led the charge.

Our members make a lot over time, hundreds of billions of dollars. The fact of the matter, it took a guy named Joe Biden in 1986, to help change the law so that we were covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Because prior to that, firefighters weren’t.

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: So he’s just got a solid track record of loyalty of this union, but more importantly to our profession. And it was on that basis that yes, we were proud to not not only offer our support and endorsement, but to be the very first to do so.

Robert Sanchez: Absolutely.

General President Harold Schaitberger: And the truth of the matter is, in that early January, this last January in Iowa, things got a little dicey, and followed by New Hampshire where things looked-

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: … like maybe we’re in a little bit of trouble.

Robert Sanchez: It sure did.

General President Harold Schaitberger: And a lot of people were poking at us. I got a lot of friends that called and said, “Hey guys, get ready to go down the tube.”

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: But we kept our faith and we stood tall. And the truth is, that we were part of keeping Joe Biden on life support.

Robert Sanchez: I agree.

General President Harold Schaitberger: And then South Carolina takes off and the rest is history. And now this week, probably it may be in a matter of hours, we’re going to find out who his vice-presidential pick is.

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: And most of them in the running are very good friends of this IAFF.

Robert Sanchez: Nice.

General President Harold Schaitberger: So we positioned our union to help elect someone who’s going to be a great president for the nation, but is going to be a terrific president for firefighters and our profession.

Robert Sanchez: Right. That’s very good that with the IFF has endorsed Joe Biden, and was saying that is if you talk to other unions across the country, which we do, I’m a member of other union organization groups here, we’re pretty much the most diverse union as far as political wise anyways. I mean, like you said, we have the most Republicans, the most Independence, of course we have Democrats, so that’s definitely unique about the IFF.

General President Harold Schaitberger: I know I’m repeating myself, but I just think it’s almost like a perfect reflection of the political landscape in our nation. I mean, we have a very politically diverse union, and which is challenging at times, Robert. I suspect you experienced that yourself in New Mexico. That you’ll back a politician and you’ll probably have some members that are not in agreement with that decision.

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: But that’s the great thing about our nation, right? And it’s the great thing about our union. And that is, everybody has a right to hold their own position and to support who they choose, but this union has a responsibility as a union to do what’s right on behalf of our profession.

Robert Sanchez: Absolutely. I mean, and with that said, I mean, I can’t help to mention about the COVID… I mean, I’m sure the George Floyd stuff that’s going around, the unrest that’s happening across our nation, and the men and women in the IFF and how they’ve done great serving the community, like always, never seem to let us down, and they’re going through the riots and trying to put out fires, or structure fires, and having people rioting right next to you. So I just want to give a shout out to the men and women in the fire service in the United States and Canada, just all the great work they’ve been doing for these with these unrest and riots.

General President Harold Schaitberger: They deserve that shout out. I tell you, they’ve been on the front lines. So many places they have faced great challenges, sometimes with their own safety threat, but they never blink. We always say, they never back down, they never back out. They do their job and it’s just such a joy to be part of this union that represents such honorable people that are out there doing the work that they do on behalf of their citizens every single day.

Robert Sanchez: That’s right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: I want to give a shout out too, Robert, if I may, on the show.

Robert Sanchez: Sure, absolutely.

General President Harold Schaitberger: A shout out to the staff of the IAFF. We’ve got about 180 of, I think, like the very best. Each in their own skillsets, each in their own professional capabilities. And when COVID-19 hit, we had to shut… I’m here basically by myself, except for a couple of construction workers, in this eight-story building because we had to send our staff, basically, out to work remotely. And there was a lot of question, whether how is it going to work? Was it going to be effective? Would we get all of our programs service? We would get everything out to our locals that they need, the challenges they’re facing. And I have to tell you, I am so amazed and so proud of our staff. They haven’t missed a beat.

General President Harold Schaitberger: We were transitioning from a headquarter operation to a remote operation seamlessly. They’d be able to set up so that they’re actually operating like they’re sitting at their desk here in headquarters, and they have been pushing out all the programs, and the services, and the resources, and the tools and the education, and certainly all of the toolkits related to COVID-19. Both the health and safety toolkit, as well as the economic toolkit. So yeah, we have a great union, but part of the heart of this great union also is an incredible headquarter staff. They’ve just been doing extraordinary work under pretty challenging situation

Robert Sanchez: Times. Yeah, I mean, I haven’t seen much at all, so I’ve always been amazed how responsive they are to all of our members. We have the local presidents call and assist a great operation that they’re still operating there in Washington remotely from over there operating. So that is good. Again, thank you for, for your leadership sir, especially in the 10 District. And we have Frankie Lima one of the great leaders in this 10 District and they can’t forget to-

General President Harold Schaitberger: He’s amazing.

Robert Sanchez: … mention him.

General President Harold Schaitberger: I tell you, Frankie is amazing. That guy has done extraordinary work in this first term of his as a international vice president, and I don’t have tell you that the 10th District is operating at a very high level. He works to assure that all of you get everything you need to do your work, and he’s a great leader on our executive board and selfishly a great friend of mine,

Robert Sanchez: Right. I mean, we can stop to mention that the diversity that he makes happen in his 10 District. I mean, you have diverse DFSRs, and presidents, and diversity in California, Mexico, Arizona, and Hawaii. I might be biased, but 10 District is doing great.

General President Harold Schaitberger: It is doing great. You better be biased.

Robert Sanchez: Right. Well, thank you Mr. General President. So always have a community segment here on this IFFA Firefighter Kingdom podcast and we have Vince Trujilo. He helps out, and so he’s going to ask a few questions if you don’t mind.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Okay.

Robert Sanchez: So how are you doing Vince?

Vince Trujillo: Hey, good. Thank you so much for having me on, and especially in the special episode we have General President Schaitberger. And listening to everything that you’re doing over there, I appreciate that so much. It just seems that the history that you bring, what you’re doing to vie constantly for your membership and helping everyone out just seems like it trickles down to everyone that Robert’s been on. Just quality people that are being created out of some of the support they get from you, so I appreciate that. But I have a couple of questions.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Sure.

Vince Trujillo: So from a public’s perspective, I loved to hearing everything that you’re doing, the funds that you have, the foundations and all of the endeavors you’re going, and how you vie legislatively for everybody. And you said since you were in the 70s and you got started up in the unions, I was just going to ask, what was one of your favorite early memories of being in the union and kind of starting out then in the 70s?

General President Harold Schaitberger: I’ll tell you, one of the… We’re on air, so I’ll say it, but I usually try not to talk about myself too much because this union is a combination of so many leaders, and souls, and experiences. But to your question, Vince, I mentioned that when I helped to organize Local 2068, it was in a Southern environment, anti-union environment, no collective bargaining permitted. One of the first things we did as a new young local was able to pass a local ordinance that establish collect bargaining rights. And I, as a 25-year-old, relatively new-

Vince Trujillo: Wow.

General President Harold Schaitberger: … union president of a relatively new local union, was able to sit at the table across from our employers, the county government, and negotiate our first contract, the first public employee collective bargaining contract in the state of Virginia. So that was 1971, and so for everything, I’ve been privileged to be a part of and-

Everything I’ve been privileged to be a part of and to have some role in helping to move forward, that’s certainly a great memory, an achievement that I take a lot of pride in going back now almost 50 years.

Vince Trujillo: Wow. That’s impressive. I wouldn’t even want to compare to what I was doing when I was 25 years old and you’re getting the first collective bargaining agreement in Virginia. So congratulations on that. That’s amazing. Another question for me is that given what all you’ve seen in the landscape change over this last 40 years plus, what do you see the digital age having to play in how you connect with your members, how other presidents connect with their members and how it can keep members and the community involved?

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, Vince, I think you know and sometimes I take a journey to answer your question, but we are very focused on how to better communicate, connect with our leadership, with our members, with the general public. That’s why we have such a comprehensive, strong, complex communication and media department. It’s one of the reasons why we decided as one of only two unions in North America to build and create our own broadcast quality studio, to be able to have our communication field staff that really is trained in how to utilize all of the new emerging, digital, social media platforms to create our communication training academy, where we bring in 50 leaders every year to give them the strong skillsets to understand how to be that voice back out in the field to their members that need to be better informed always, to the citizens that need to be informed on the various issues and challenges that our members are facing.

And then to create that training academy now at the state level. In the last 16 months, we’ve established our communication state and provincial training academy. So to your question, we’re trying to use everything from broadcast quality studio, our own production media team. We bought a media company, a union media company. So now this IAFF, you, our members own their own media production operation. They own their own broadcast quality studio.

We have a significant and a campaign strategical department that understands and is helping to expand the use of all the various platforms that are out there and how we have to understand how to deliver information and connect whether it’s our members, the politicians, or the general population.

Vince Trujillo: Oh, that’s great. Thank you so much for that. And we’re getting out there too. We’re like trying to learn and we’re getting Robert, got his podcast launched and we’re doing a really good job so far. I know that you have a podcast too. Do you want to give a shout out to that one?

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, we do. And I give a shout out to Mark Truglio and Doug Stern who do a great job with our podcast, and trying to, again, provide this opportunity to select the various subjects that we think our members would be interested in. And as you’re doing, pushing it out, it’s just another vehicle. Another way to hopefully inform and connect with our members.

Vince Trujillo: Yes, that’s great. So we’re going to post links to that in our description and what we’re doing when we post this on our channels as well as when the YouTube videos come out as well. So thank you, General President Schaitberger for this and learning about everything you’re doing for your members. One of our couple of important points with our last question is that the public really needs to know in supporting.

You talked about endorsing Joe Biden because of all of the… I mean this goes back 40 years with Joe Biden too, so that was really an important note to know. And I think we’re going to take time to kind of pull that out into our website and our blog to say why this was important to support him. What does the public need to know right now based on the environment that we have with some states, some national politicians constantly seem to be fighting unions and talking about that. And as it gets into affecting first responders, teachers, some of our more basic… People in the public service that you should be supporting, what is important that the public knows going forward right now, especially with the election coming up, that we need to be educated for. And it doesn’t really matter, your political stripe. It shouldn’t matter as much when you’re supporting people like firefighters. So people like me and the public, what do we need to know that can be nonpolitical?

General President Harold Schaitberger: Let’s talk about… If we’re going to focus on it, it’s always a lot of things start at the top. It starts with the president of the United States. But it’s more than just Joe Biden being the president of the United States. It’s that, that is the person who will help to establish our entire federal government, the 13 federal agencies that are so responsible for every aspect of our nation and our citizens’ lives and future.

So when you’re talking about making this decision, I would want to make sure that the public knows more and more. Joe Biden really is middle-class Joe. It’s not just a title or a nickname, but he understands the challenge of working families. He understands what it’s like to be in a job where you got to come home and wash your hands and take a shower after work.

He’s had a lifetime of supporting our children in a strong education system. And he is a politician that has never shied away from using the word union. He’s proud to be supportive of union. It’s Joe Biden that you’ve heard so many times over so many years that the middle class built this country and the unions built the middle class. So what people need to understand is this is somebody who has faced his own personal tragedy. So he has real empathy for those that have a challenging environment or life, or have a sick child or parent.

So I think that’s the message that is getting out and that is connecting, but certainly for us in communicating, Joe Biden is going to support middle class, strong middle class, working families, workers, and believes that everyone should be organized by a union.

Vince Trujillo: Great answer. Thank you so much General President Schaitberger. I appreciate that. It was great getting to know you better and as a community member, I think so many of our community are going to benefit from learning about what you do and how you support the firefighters in a little bit more detail into that. So I appreciate that.

General President Harold Schaitberger: I appreciate it.

Vince Trujillo: I’m going to turn it back over to Robert. Thank you so much for being on our podcast.

Robert Sanchez: Well, thank you again, General President Schaitberger. It’s always an honor and a treat to have you on and always nice to talk to you and thank you for your leadership, sir, and the IAFF.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Thank you for what you do, Robert. You do a great job.

Robert Sanchez: Thank you, sir.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Our members in New Mexico are really benefited by your strong work.

Robert Sanchez: Thank you, sir.

General President Harold Schaitberger: So know that I’ve got your back.

Robert Sanchez: We appreciate that. We know you do. So again, thank you.

General President Harold Schaitberger: So let me thank everybody for listening to Firefighter Kingdom on Apple and Spotify podcast.

Robert Sanchez: Perfect. This is our podcast. We have a couple of firefighters on from Allie from Hawaii. We have Dennis Lawson from Washington. So great IAFF supporters and members that are out there supporting this. So again, thank you again, sir.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Okay.

Robert Sanchez: And have a good day

General President Harold Schaitberger: All the best.

Robert Sanchez: Have a good day.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Stay safe out there.

Robert Sanchez: We will. Also, thank you, sir.

The post #12 – General President Harold Schaitberger | Special Edition – 2020 Election & More appeared first on The FireFighter Kingdom Podcast.

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mrmichaelchadler · 5 years

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S. Craig Zahler on Dragged Across Concrete, Casting Mel Gibson, His Writing Process and More

In “Dragged Across Concrete,” the new film from S. Craig Zahler, police detectives Brett Ridgeman (Mel Gibson) and Anthony Lurasetti (Vince Vaughn) cuff a suspect and apply a bit of excessive force in the apprehension; subsequently they’re both suspended from work sans pay. Brett’s wife is stricken by MS. Anthony wants to buy a ring to propose to his girlfriend. Their dual financial needs motivating them in their “violently earned” leisure time, as one character puts it later on, Brett and Anthony pick a criminal they know happens to be loaded and relieve him of his cash. At the same time, Henry (Tory Kittles), an ex-con fresh out of prison, short on funds but rich in woes, reluctantly takes a gig with the same criminal the cops want to rip off.

It’s a Zahler movie, so everything ends in tears and no small amount of blood is spilled. “Dragged Across Concrete” is in many ways his most ambitious film to date, epic in the way great classic crime fiction can be while also zoomed in on threads that at a distance might read as trivial. Each minute of its 158-minute running time is as engrossing and absorptive as the last, which is the effect of writing characters who speak like they’re in a David Milch production. But “Dragged Across Concrete” runs on human desperation, the common element binding together racist cops and marginalized people simply trying to make life better for themselves. Motivations do vary across characters, but the fuel driving them is universal.

In a conversation with RogerEbert.com, Zahler talked about that drive as a result of his specific writing process rather than the product of top-down aesthetics, as well as the consequences casting an actor with Gibson’s notoriety can have on a movie’s story and visibility.

I feel like in a lot of ways, this movie reflects Gibson as a person, and really I’m wondering if that’s why you wanted him to be in the movie in the first place? Did this have to be Mel’s role, for you?

No. The way this came about was, I finished the script maybe two weeks before I met Vince [Vaughn] when he came on board “Brawl in Cell Block 99.” So, when I'd initially written it, it was for a 30-year-old and a 50-year-old, and actually Anthony Lurasetti was supposed to be notably short. And that was my original conception of it. I had a great working experience with Vince Vaughn on “Brawl in Cell Block 99”; I was blown away by his range, I enjoyed working with him—he’s a funny guy on the set and in real life, which is a surprise to nobody—and when we got towards the end of that piece I started thinking about him for Anthony Lurasetti, reimagined as a bigger, slightly more menacing guy than I had originally seen it. But I knew that he could pull it off. And actually coincidentally his middle name is Anthony, as a good deal of his heritage is Italian.

So I offered him the role, and then when I started thinking about who is going to seem to be a match for him on screen, and who also will seem like a senior person who is further down the road in the career, Mel Gibson was one of the first people I thought of, and Vince already had a relationship with him. So it was really from the root of working with Vince, having that relationship with him, putting him in the role of Anthony, and then thinking who would fit as a senior guy, and a more grizzled guy, and have a comparable amount of charisma up on the screen.

So no, when I wrote this, neither of these people were people I had in mind, though in general, and specifically in this case, I don't have actors in mind when I'm writing roles.

I try and avoid that. Occasionally Fred Melamed sneaks in there; he's been in all three of my movies, and even before I knew who he was, I was writing characters that were similar to him. That's how it went about, and Vince obviously had the pre-existing relationship with Mel from “Hacksaw Ridge,” and facilitated that submission. Mel read it and said a lot of complimentary things; I spoke to him, and he was on board, and that was how it came about.

Circling in my mind is his public notoriety, notably during ... the first 20 minutes of the film where they're pining for the good old days. That's fascinating because you have such a complicated figure with Mel in the movie. Was it easy for you to work with that, to have him folded into the movie, because it’s about such complicated figures on its own?

We shot the script as I wrote it. I didn't change anything other than the age of the characters when I cast it. That again is the pre-existing script, and obviously there's the stuff that you're mentioning where it kind of overlaps some stuff that people might be bringing into the theater, which is, you know, a consequence of that casting choice. But I wasn’t going to change the material or change the characters that I wrote because of the stuff going on in their personal lives, just like I'm not really interested in discussing their personal lives. I just don't know that much about it, I mean.

Sure.

He was good to work with, and he came on board and delivered what I wrote and brought up a lot to the role. To quote him, he's a good soldier, and he came in and did his work. My directing style is obviously extremely different from his, and he was always comfortable with letting me do what I wanted to do, showing up as a performer, and delivering the goods.

So those complications are really immaterial; what you're looking for is somebody who can take your creation and make it work on screen?

Yeah, exactly. I put him in the role because I thought he would be fantastic for the part— and he is fantastic!

You used the word “consequence” a few moments ago. Is there a point where you consider that there may be consequences for the movie from him being in it? This is something that’s spoken to in the movie, but it’s kind of the time that we live in right now.

I want to make the best movie possible, and I put him in the role because he's fantastic. I mean, there are a couple of consequences of putting him in the movie; one is you and I are having this conversation, and the major part of your interview time is going to be spent discussing it. And there are also people who won't see the movie because of that casting choice. But I have a target with what I do, and the target is the best version of the movie possible. Once I put Vince with someone with that stature and that charisma and that presence in that role, and I needed a senior guy who could hold his own and seem legitimately his superior in some ways, his equal in others, of the same breed but further down the line and more embittered, he was the choice for me.

So I make a lot of choices that aren't going to make the movie the most popular for everybody, but everything that I do will appeal to only a certain amount of people. Appealing to the largest group, or going after the biggest demographic, has never been a concern of mine. It's just not what I do. I would not write “Bone Tomahawk,” and “Brawl in Cell Block 99,” and “Dragged Across Concrete,” nor the violent Western novels I've written, or any of this stuff if I was chasing a big audience. I'm chasing self-satisfaction, and I hope that enough people enjoy it that it’s successful enough that I get to make the next one.

I actually think the casting plays very well with what the movie is trying to accomplish, and I'm curious about the movie's layers of racism and how people—white characters, black characters—interact with each other throughout. Is this something that came to you after taking the temperature of the moment that we're living in? It feels like a very of-the- moment movie.

You're not the only person who’s said it’s very of the moment. I conceived of it in 2015; we had a very different president, and it was a very different moment. This comes from my interest in building a larger world and showing different people with different plights from different backgrounds and how they converge: Kelly Summer, Jennifer Carpenter's character, and Melanie Ridgeman, Laurie Holden's character, Tori Kittel, Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, these are all different people with different histories. A lot of what I'm interested in doing in my novels and music and movies is world building. If you're painting with a lot of a lot of different colors, and using a lot of different strokes, and going on a wider canvas, the world will be richer. Not every piece calls for that; my first [movie], “Bone Tomahawk,” was an ensemble piece, and I feel you got a lot more different viewpoints than that. And then the second one wasn't. “Brawl in Cell Block 99” is really driven by a guy, and there are the people around him, so it's a little bit more singular that way. The world-building in that is more specific to the environments, particularly the prisons.

In this one, showing all these different facets of society in the fictional town of Bulwark, gives you a larger world that is unique to the movie and something to take away in addition to the story and what happened to the characters. There's an environment, and there's a sense of place, which is also something that gets lost if a movie just gets whittled down to 2 hours or 90 minutes. That sense of place and space, and the feeling like you're in the environment and inhabiting the environment. So that's that's a lot of my interest in exploring a lot of that stuff.

But certainly in terms of your comment of it being of the moment, if you're writing from the viewpoint of all the characters which I do—I mean, if I'm writing a scene with Henry Johns [Tory Kittles] and Biscuit [Michael Jai White], I'm thinking about where they're coming from, why they're doing what they're doing, and the same with Anthony and Ridgeman. So if you're writing from their viewpoints for their sequences, and then you bring them all together, ideally you have a complicated conflict and you have a rich world.

What really struck me is that you've woven all these different stories from different perspectives together, and the thing that binds them all as far as I see it is need; everybody here has the same pressing driving need. And then ultimately the film becomes about whose need is greater, who deserves it more. Was that the intention you had when you when you began writing, to create a space for that need to foment?

I don't come at a piece with any larger thematic ideas, any agenda, any thesis statement that I want everything in support of. I write from the characters’ points of view and inhabit them. What you're talking about in terms of the need and that being there very much comes from that I want all of these characters and their goals to be clear. I don't get the question from actors almost ever, or maybe ever—I can't recall an instance on any of these movies where they asked me what their motivation is. They know why they're doing what they're doing, and the audience knows why they're doing what they're doing. So I come from a place where I want to get that in the movie, so there are limits on the time. For me it's shorthand—considering the length of this movie for a lot of people it isn't shorthand—but I just want them driven, and to have purpose and goals that are identifiable.

Certainly there are going to be people who see the movie and like some of the characters, who dislike some of the characters, who dislike most of the characters or all of them, or the other way around. So you understand why they're doing what they're doing, and then in terms of what you bring in terms of your own outlook, you can land in the camp of wanting group A to win, or group B to win, or want group A and B both to win or wanting everyone to lose.

All of that comes from writing from the perspective of the characters and thinking about what those characters desire rather than there's a larger thematic point that I'm trying to underline, which a lot of times for me makes movies didactic if not pedantic and sort of makes the character subservient to the plot rather than the other way around, which is the way that I like to write.

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