(Some) Kudos for Kuhl
On Tuesday March 6th, Randy Kuhl sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates requesting a review of military policies of when both military parents are deployed to the warfront.
This was spurred by the tragic consequences of escalating the Iraq War impacting the Mast Family which was reported here and here.The father is now serving overseas and the mother will soon follow leaving behind Brooke, the couple’s 2 month old daughter, with relatives.
Below is a clip of Congressman Kuhl explaining his thoughts on the Mast Family during a town hall forum in Henrietta on March 3rd.
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While kudos is in order for making an effort, good intentions are limited in ability and scope.
We at rochesterturning shall not cease pressure til our elected leaders have resolved this ordeal in a just and humane manner.
Time is of the essence.
Remember the mother Dolly. She is due to be deployed in May. This is less than 2 months away!
Below is a contact list of Senator Clinton, Congressman Randy Kuhl, and Senator Schumer. Call and remind them about the Mast Family situation and request immediate action.
While newborn Brooke can not speak. We can! Please do not delay.
KUHL CONTACT INFO
Randy’s Washington Office: 202 225-3161
Randy’s Fairport Office: 585 223-4760
SENATE CONTACT INFO
Chuck Schumer - Rochester - 585-263-5866
Chuck Schumer - Washington - 202-224-6542
Hillary Clinton - Rochester - 585-263-6250
Hillary Clinton - Washington - 202-224-4451
Kudos indeed… I’m very glad Congressman Kuhl has done the right thing in this instance.
Left voicemails and messages with all congressional offices. Waiting for phone calls to be returned.
Kuhl’s office contacted me via phone. Due to FOIA, they can not discuss the details, but are working on the case. No word (yet) from Schumer and Clinton which is dissapointing to say the least.
Veterans Outreach Center has been notified and will look deeply into this matter.
Schumer’s DC Office: “We have received calls and will bring it to the Senator’s attention”.
Announcement
Corning, New York - March 8, 2007
Dear Friends and supporters and fellow Americans who are deeply concerned about the future.
Last night at the studios of WETM TV in Elmira New York I told the audience of Coleman and Company, a local 30 minute TV talk show that I intend to run against John Kuhl of Hammondsport for the honor of representing the 29th Congressional district before the United States House of Representatives in Washington DC.
I take this decision, one of the most difficult I, or my family, has ever faced - because of several reasons. But none is so clear as the continuing assault on the security of our Nation, the ongoing war on the Middle Class that built it, and the Veterans who defended it at home and overseas.
Tell Your Friends
The war in Iraq is making us less secure. It is consuming our most valuable resources, the men and women of the Armed forces, their equipment and their ability to defend us around the world. It has cost us over a trillion dollars and continues to cost us more than $27,000 every minute of every day that we occupy Baghdad. Instead of new strategy to shorten our involvement in a never ending Civil War, we have been given more of the same with rubber stamp votes of approval by some in Congress. That must change.
Here at home, Corning New York, a family is facing the deployment of both parents leaving a two-month-old child behind in the care of grandparents. John Kuhl recently wrote a letter to the Secretary of Defense to review deployment policies when both parents are available for deployment. The truth is that no letter will relieve the tremendous strain on our military and for politicians to rubber stamp George Bush’s surge and then try to cover the results of their votes with letters to the Secretary of Defense they only expose themselves for what they really are. That must change.
The assault on the Middle Class continues with the President proposing a new tax on health care benefits as a way of further forcing working Americans to seek ever lower standards of medical coverage. The Free Traders of Congress and the White House continue to force living wage jobs overseas and there has been a fundamental breech in the contract between the people of the Government and the Government of the People. We are Americans first and the professional politicians in Washington DC have forgotten that to the destruction of tens of millions of working American families. That must change.
Tell Your Friends
We have now seen the tip of the iceberg with the growing scandal that is outpatient health care at Walter Reed Medical hospital, the crown jewel of military medicine. Here, in our own backyard, a decision knowingly made and agreed to by the Washington politicians in 2004, is now final and the key in-patient mental health care hospital at the Canandaigua VA center has closed it’s doors - with no real alternative for care for those left out in the cold. With an ever dwindling representation of Veterans in Congress those men and women who represented us on the battlefield are not be in represented in Washington. That must change.
We face real and pressing National emergencies that can only be addressed in a clear “say-what-you-mean-and-mean-what-you-say” voice. I intend to be that voice and with your help we will build on the tremendous success that we saw in 2006 and bring a higher standard of leadership to Washington DC. Please join us at http://www.dailykos.com for an in depth discussion of this race and the issues that face our District and our Nation at 3PM New York time for live blogging, some good humor and some serious discussion about where we need to take this Congress and this Nation.
God Bless you all and God Bless this great Nation Called the United States.
Eric Massa
[...] to see it up on RT. Eric’s response to the Mast Family situation goes up on RT, Kuhl’s response arrives 6 days later. Eric shows us his true colors with, Massa on what kind of Dem he is. Dan [...]