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June 1, 2007
Hall Votes Against Troops & Veterans
The Congressman who represents West Point, Stewart Air Base and
77,000 military veterans celebrated Memorial Day by voting to
de-fund our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and against
healthcare for veterans and active duty troops. On May 24th
Representative John Hall (D, NY-19) voted to deprive American
troops engaged in combat the funds they need to vanquish Al
Qaeda from Iraq and the Taliban from Afghanistan and against the
healthcare needs of those we honored this past weekend.
Fortunately, the bill passed overwhelmingly. But if Hall had
his way, Iraq would become a safe haven for the Al Qaeda
barbarians who recently kidnapped, tortured and killed an
American GI from Fort Drum, NY and Afghanistan would revert back
to the days of burqas and ferocious subjugation of women.
Moreover, had the Hall view prevailed, veterans would have been
denied much needed medical assistance.
Hall provided but a two sentence explanation of why he voted
against a bill that 2/3s of the House and 80% of the Senate
approved. He claims to want a hard timetable for withdrawal of
our troops, a provision that military experts agree would serve
only enable and inspire the terrorist enemy.
That Hall wants to de-fund both Iraq and Afghanistan is an
unmistakable indication that Hall is well outside of the
mainstream and has no understanding of how to defend the nation
and prevent future terror attacks.
The rookie Democrat routinely states that we must withdraw from
Iraq because there is sectarian violence. But this argument
ignores the fact that the 9/11 attacks emerged from Afghanistan,
which at the time was mired in a civil war.
Hall fails to realize that the sectarian strife in Iraq was
stoked by Al Qaeda precisely to cause weak-kneed Congressman to
sound retreat. Hall, who made a made a propaganda film with Jane
Fonda and is backed by the hard left anti-war organization
Moveon.org, quickly and completely took Al Qaeda’s bait.
Hall’s website and mailings exploit images of West Point cadets
in an attempt to convey support for the military, but within
weeks of taking office, Hall told our enemies – from the floor
of the Congress – that the Iraq war is lost. Hall is so heavily
invested in defeat that what is good for U.S. troops is bad for
John Hall.
The same week as Hall was voting to undercut our troops and
surrender to Al Qaeda, Time Magazine’s Joel Klien reported the
following: “There is good news from Iraq, believe it or not. It
comes from the most unlikely place: Anbar province, home of the
Sunni insurgency. The level of violence has plummeted in recent
weeks. An alliance of U.S. troops and local tribes has been very
effective in moving against the al-Qaeda foreign fighters.”
Since taking office in January, Hall has shed his tie-die shirts
and wrapped himself in the American flag. He has shamelessly
tried to re-tool as “pro-veteran” because he knows that in this
District, 1 of every 8 residents is a military veteran. But the
bill that Hall voted against included $4.8 billion dollars for
military healthcare.
Meanwhile, Hall has been patting himself on the back for a
proposal to withhold bonuses from VA officials until they reduce
the backlog of claims by veterans. But he and the Democrats
failed to get the legislation to a vote and went on vacation
while veterans in need continue to wait. According to a Journal
News report, “Congress went home Thursday for a weeklong
Memorial Day recess without taking up the bill.”
Hall was given a clear choice to demonstrate whether his
priority was doing right by the military and veterans or
appeasing the hard left anti-war agitators that staffed and
bankrolled his election. Disgracefully he chose the latter.
In short, John Hall’s vote last week to disarm our troops
fighting Al Qaeda definitively proved that his attempt to
portray himself as a moderate who supports the troops and our
veterans is a complete charade.
Kieran Michael Lalor, A Marine Corps
Veteran of Operation Iraq Freedom and national security activist
is aggressively exploring a campaign against John Hall in New
York’s 19th Congressional District.
www.KML2008.com
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