Press release:
Mr. Collins’ appearance today on MSNBC was insensitive to the Khan family and self-serving. As the representative of the people of NY-27 and a so-called advocate for Veterans it was even more thoughtless and uncaring.
Diana Kastenbaum said, “Collins continued to be Trump’s surrogate by reiterating the insults to the Khan family in his interview. To have a talking point, which he used not once but twice, saying that it happened 12 years ago made it seem somehow irrelevant. My response to Mr. Collins is - the loss of a child has no expiration date for one’s grief. Collins also stated that Mr. Khan is not immune from anything as he has entered the political fray; therefore he leaves himself open to condemnation and criticism. I would ask Mr. Collins, is that how we treat the memory of our heroes and Gold Star Mothers among us?”
Mr. Collin’s defense of the Trump attacks on the Khan family was another opportunity for him to stand by the Republican nominee and the divisiveness that he is inflicting on our country.
UPDATE: Democratic leaders from the 27th District have also put out a statement:
The Democratic chairs of the eight counties that comprise New York's 27th District condemn in the strongest terms Rep. Chris Collin's outrageous statement on MSNBC this afternoon. As he desperately attempted to defend his chosen candidate's criticism of the Kahns, the Gold Star family who criticized Donald Trump's proposal to ban Muslim immigrants since it would have prevented their son who died heroically in the service of our nation from even entering the United States, Rep. Collins went way over the line.
Incredibly, he accused Mr. Kahn of using his dead son as a "shield" from criticism and suggested he deserved anything he got, since he had dared to enter the fray.
Veterans and their families make up a proud part of this congressional district. All of them understand better than Mr. Trump or Rep. Collins what sacrifice actually means. Capt. Khan died defending his men and our nation. His family deserves our thanks and our compassion.
Rep. Collins brags about his role as a surrogate for Mr. Trump, even saying a few weeks ago that he had appeared on cable television for Mr. Trump's campaign over 100 times. We have to wonder how much he is even concerned with New York's 27th district, in the midst of this whirlwind of activity. We understand that Rep. Collins desperately wants his candidate to become president, since, as he admits, he hopes to be named
Secretary of Commerce. Today's comments prove there are no depths to which Mr. Trump can sink that he will not gladly follow. The voters of NY 27 deserve a representative who has as his priority the people of the district, not his own advancement. The many veterans and service families of NY 27 also deserve someone who understands and appreciates the sacrifices they made and continue to make. Rep. Collins clearly does not.
Jeremy Zellner, Erie County Democratic Chair
Nick Forster, Niagara County Democratic Chair
Jeanne Crane, Orleans County Chair
Lorie Longhany, Genesee County Democratic Chair
Harold Bush, Wyoming County Democratic Chair
Judith Hunter, Livingston County Democratic Chair
Jamie Romeo, Monroe County Democratic Chair
John Hurley, Ontario County Democratic Chair
Lorie Longhany, the Genesee County chair, when sending over the press release, also included two relevant links:
you don,t like him because he
you don,t like him because he speaks his views and not a paid steeling lying puppet
Ya know, I really don't like
Ya know, I really don't like Collins, I didn't vote for him before and don't plan to again this year. But now reading this political pandering BS from the Democrat challenger, it becomes obvious that the Democrat challenger, Kastenbaum is nothing more than a progressive Democrat of the highest order... playing attack dog, and using character assassination. I want to ask Ms Kastenbaum, is the way Hillary Clinton and her Democrats have treated Gold Star Mother Patricia Smith the way it should be done?
Where is the Libertarian Party in the race for the 27th Congressional District? This is one that it truly could have had a shot at. I'm going to vote LP via write-in.
Thanks for the update. So,
Thanks for the update. So, what do we know now that we didn't know before the update? That ALL the Democrat party leaders in WNY were opposed to the Republican incumbent. Really???
"But now reading this
"But now reading this political pandering BS from the Democrat challenger, it becomes obvious that the Democrat challenger, Kastenbaum is nothing more than a progressive Democrat of the highest order... playing attack dog, and using character assassination. I want to ask Ms Kastenbaum, is the way Hillary Clinton and her Democrats have treated Gold Star Mother Patricia Smith the way it should be done?"
Gold Star mother Patricia Smith, as part of the GOP convention in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago, took it upon herself to accuse the former Secretary of State of personal responsibility for the death of her son. Shame on what remains of the Republican Party to exploit this poor woman's misplaced grief and despair, and to raise her to the status of an 'attack dog'. Mr Trump and his surrogates (including such lackies as Chris Collins) zeroed in on the Khan family tragedy in a baldly racist attempt to degrade the American Muslim experience, and Muslim contribution to our nation. That was their mistake, because fortunately, most responsible, thinking contributors to the scene, including Collins' Democratic challenger Diana Kastenbaum, and certainly both sides of the political isle, have joined in condemning Trump's bizarre demogogy. There is no equivalence here. There is no attack from Ms Kastenbaum, except perhaps on the empty suit that is our current representative in the New York 27th.
Just 's wondering. What's
Just 's wondering. What's with 's all of 's the 's in the update 's to the 's press release? Was that your 's doing, Howard, or did that come 's from the Democratic leaders 's from the 27th District?
Wow! Now, that's weird! I
Wow! Now, that's weird! I copied and pasted several 's into my comment above, and even proofread it before saving it to thebatavian.
Yet, for some reason, only the 's were saved.
Howard, please check your "system". I think, maybe, a Pokemon character or two might've hacked into it.
Yep! It did it again. Ain't
Yep! It did it again. Ain't gonna try it a 3rd time.
Oh. In case you are wondering
Oh. In case you are wondering, the missing characters that I posted TWICE were copied from the text sent in by the Democratic leaders from the 27th District.
And, those characters that, for whatever reason, didnt go through were (1) an ampersand, (2) a hash mark, (3) the number 39, and, (4) a semicolon.
Not sure what's up with that.
Chris Collins is an absolute
Chris Collins is an absolute embarrassment to the electorate of NY's 27th district. It's bad enough that he was first in line to endorse scumbag Trump, but Mr. Collins's outrageous comments today -- attacking the Khans, while defending Trump's indefensible bigotry -- are really beyond the pale! Shame on Chris Collins and on anyone who would support the likes of Collins and Trump (two bigoted peas in â pod of idiocy).
Rep. Collins comments on a
Rep. Collins comments on a recent interview concerning the Gold Star family of Humayun Khan, I believe...no, I know now that being the spokesman for your pathetic Republican Presidential nominee. Defending his despicable attack on the Gold Star mother and father is the most Cowardly act that Trump has ever perpetrated. His disrespect of this American serviceman who has given his life for our nation and his troops is despicable. Trumps narcissism is what guides him. Any insult, crticism, or just joking about him brings him into an uncontrollable Twitter rage. He is not fit for the Presidency of this already great nation and Rep. Collins is not fit to be my Representative in Washington DC. I will work tirelessly to rid you both of your political careers. SHAME ON YOU. SHAME ON Mr Trump. And you have brought shame onto your constituents and this district.
At the DNC
Khizr Khan appeared to be a simple
man in mourning for losing
his son.
NOT SO FAST...
maybe he is mourning what will happen to his schemes
if Trump wins.
As usual there is much more behind the headlines and most people, like all here dumping on Collins/Trump, don't take the time to research it. Like pointing to a "heartless" comment saying that "it was 12 years ago" as if that makes the loss less relevant. Well as is par for Clinton pathological lying, the actual Trump comment sounds quite different.
“Captain Humayun Khan was a hero to our country and we should honor all who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe. The real problem here are the radical Islamic terrorists who killed him, and the efforts of these radicals to enter our country to do us further harm. Given the state of the world today, we have to know everything about those looking to enter our country, and given the state of chaos in some of these countries, that is impossible."
Even more disturbing is not that Khizr Khan's
present
grieving seems artificially intense after all these years, rather his current grieving is likely over the very real possibility that Trump is going to defeat his comrade Hillary Clinton... and it will pose a major blow to his well laid schemes.
Khizr Khan, is a Pakistani-born, naturalized US citizen, a Virginia lawyer graduated from Punjab University Law College,
he specialized in International Trade Law in Saudi Arabia. It is also reported that he runs a law firm in New York called KM Khan Law Office, a firm that specializes in 'immigration services'. Khan used to work for Hogan & Hartson and Lovells, U.S. firm hired by the Saudis, is registered to work for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia through 2016, and which has ties to the Clinton Foundation.
According to many internet links
Mr. Khizr Muazzam Khan is a promoter of Islamic sharia law and a co-founder of the Journal of Contemporary Issues in Muslim Law (sharia). In fact, in the past, Khizr Khan has shown "his appreciation for an icon of the Muslim Brotherhood" by the name of Said Ramadan, who "wrote material for the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia, an organization that has been promoting Islamic revivalism and indoctrination to recruit young people in Malaysia to jihad-ism." Said Ramadan was the son-in-law of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Khan is upset, that a Trump victory will eliminate and destroy decades of hard work to bring in Islamic immigration into the United States which was spearheaded by agents in Saudi Arabia like Khan and Sayed Z. Abedin (Huma Abedin’s father). Of course you all recognize Huma, she is Hillary's senior aide, chief of staff, and vice-chair of Hillary's campaign, and wife of disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner.
Trump and Collins advisers have most certainly made them aware of the underlying operations of Khizr Khan, and this would explain the reaction Comrade Khan's extreme criticism of Trump received by the two. I don't blame them.
Bryan, I've read similar
Bryan, I've read similar stories as well and thought about bringing it to light on this thread, but what's the use? The Democrats aren't going to let the facts get in the way of their "feel good"
story and ruin it for their party base. What you have written doesn't fit the propaganda that the mainstream press and Democrats in particular are trying to spew. Nice piece of work on your part imo.
"According to many internet
"According to many internet links Mr. Khizr Muazzam Khan is a promoter of Islamic sharia law and a co-founder of the Journal of Contemporary Issues in Muslim Law (sharia)
[More confused word salad excised for the sake of clarity]
Brain, "many Internet links" requires a degree of discernment and knowlrdge I frankly doubt you have, as you're rather quick on the uptake of the unsubstantiated rumor and conspiracy theory, for those special times when your reason and evidence won't harmonize. Can you please tell us what Sharia Law is? And what makes it so dangerous ? How about an exploration into the Wahhabust movement from the Sunnis. It's not your fault, Brain, and much of the world won't be telling you the truth, Will in the time coming, will you ever be able to think for yourself?
I hope Mr. Khan remembers
I hope Mr. Khan remembers Hillary voted for the war that got his son killed. I did not hear him ask her for an apology for that vote, did you?
You republican lemmings keep
You republican lemmings keep voting for these morons.
Bottom line, trump is not fit to serve as the president of the United States. Any reasonable person can see that. He has NO UNDERSTANDING of the basic issues and makes $hit up as he goes along.
As for Collins, the fact that he was first in line to support this nitwit is enough for me to disqualify him from anything, much less my congressional representative.
Now people like Brian want to disparage this Gold Star family whose son paid the ultimate sacrifice by saying Mr. Khan supports sharia law and works for the Saudis. Hey Brian, how about some DOCUMENTATION of that? Let's see, I'll bet it probably comes from some right wing wacko website.
I'm no fan of Hillary Clinton, but I would (and will) vote for her ANY DAY over the idiot trump. She's been investigated six ways from Sunday, the republicans wasted $7 million trying to prove something on Benghazi and NOTHING was proven..
As far as Collins goes, if it wasn't for the gerrymandered district, he would NEVER be elected. Someone tell me why a guy from the extreme western suburban portion of our district, represents a PRIMARILY rural, agricultural district? It makes ZERO sense. What has he done??
Again, I'll be voting for Diana Kastenbaum and I would urge all 27th district voters to do the same.
"I hope Mr. Khan remembers
"I hope Mr. Khan remembers Hillary voted for the war that got his son killed. I did not hear him ask her for an apology for that vote, did you?"
I think Mr Khan's chief personal mission at the time was not in seeking apologies, but being a soldier and taking the best care of his charges as he could. His guys made it back, and that speaks volumes. Captain Khan did his duty. He was a fine man, and a unit asset.
Brian, I can't even believe
Brian, I can't even believe that you would "go there," utilizing outrageous and unfounded right wing conspiracy nonsense in â feeble attempt to discredit two grieving, patriotic parents, who have not only given â brave son in service to this nation, but who are, themselves, exemplary citizens. How dare you! And all to defend â bigoted, big - mouthed know - nothing coward, like Trump, and his spineless toady, Collins. It's truly despicable.
And John, it was â Republican (Dubya) who was responsible f
or that I'll - advised war, not Hillary. That, however, is an entirely different topic of discussion. Stick to the issue at hand!
Bottom line, bigoted Trump is
Bottom line, bigoted Trump is completely unfit for office, and so is his embarrassing lacky, Chris Collins. And vote for either of those two clowns is â vote for bigotry and ignorance. Time for Collins to GO.
Nice to see some names on
Nice to see some names on comments we haven't seen n a while, at least.
Howard, it would be even
Howard, it would be even nicer if certain individuals could make their point without using petty names to those who support another candidate other than their own. I can't speak for others, but it's a real turn-off as far as having an adult like discussion. When I see that, I'm done with the thread. But hey, each to their own I guess. To Brian Graz, I apologize for the miss-spelling of your first name, it was not intentional.
I agree Mike. I once posted
I agree Mike. I once posted a comment that I thought just because Donald Trump was a good business man, does not mean he would make a good president, that being a businessman he was in it for the profit. I never called anyone a name or was insulting. I was admonished for my comment and have never posted a comment with my opinion since. What I have read here is way worse, and I have not seen anyone corrected for it. You don't need to call someone names or stoop low to make your point. God knows the politicians themselves are doing enough name calling .... leave it to them.
Agreed Debra. There have been
Agreed Debra. There have been times when I want to discuss topics, but the name calling puts me off and I won't enter the fray. I don't mind people having differences in opinions and I give them credit for their passion and zest of their positions/support, but once I see someone labeling a person or group of people a name, all bets are off, for me anyways. I hope you're doing well and glad we share a common interest in our love of horses.
The most overt name calling
The most overt name calling is never allowed. There are, perhaps even in this thread, pointed little remarks that perhaps, could be naming calling, but don't jump out at me.
Perhaps I should be more consistent with the rule enforcement, but being too harsh doesn't really work out either. There needs to be a certain level of ability not to take the bait and just move on.
The Batavian remains a lot safer environment to engage in a debate than Facebook or other available sites.
Howard, I agree with your
Howard, I agree with your assessment that the Batavian is a safer/stricter environment instead of the free for all that inhibits most sites on the internet. That said, ifsomeone steals $5 worth of merchandise from K-Mart vs another person who steals $100. worth going to be treated differently by K-Mart security, or by the law for that matter? Not saying you're right or wrong, and it is your site after all, and you and Billie can run it as you see fit, but I hope you see my point as well. Thanks for giving your reason.
Mike, I get your point ...
Mike, I get your point ... but Kmart has a staff of people that do nothing but watch for security violations. The same person isn't ringing up customers, stocking shelves, doing the accounting, handling refunds and mopping the floors. My attention to detail isn't always what it should be. That's not meant to sound like an excuse. Just a reality. So we do the best we can to ensure a safe, clean environment for people to engage in civic, and hopefully civil discussions.
Not everybody wants that. There are a couple of groups on Facebook started expressly to avoid our so-called "censorship." Some people apparently enjoy name calling. We just try to keep it civil as best we can.
Emma,
Emma,
very true that George W. is the one who asked, and pushed, for war. But the "issue at hand" is that Hilary voted for the war, that resulted in Khn's death. Khan was at her convention, clearly picked to attack Trump. And that's OK, but she is more responsible for Cpt. Khan's death than Donald Trump. Mr. Khan should ask Hilary for an apology for her vote.
Too bad the media does not cover Ms Pat Smith, who's son died in Libya, as much as Mr. Khan. And how Hillary personally lied to her about her son's death
Switchtracking, talking past
Switchtracking, talking past each other, in arguments.
http://www.npr.org/2015/09/22/434597124/trying-to-change-or-changing-th…
Then there is motive
Then there is motive attribution in political arguments
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4226129/
"My side is motivated by love, your side is motivated by hate." Republicans do it to Democrats, and Democrats do it to Republicans. Each side sees their own side as all good and the other side as all evil, so real issues get sidestepped by rhetoric.
Emma, that's an interesting
Emma, that's an interesting name. I can't decide which I like least Emma or Huma...
Emma, you say "I can't even believe that you would "go there," utilizing outrageous and unfounded right wing conspiracy nonsense". Well then shows us your honed expertise at discrediting the claims and information I put up. Don't just rely on the age old character assassination tactics of the left, progressive, regressives, like what's being shown here by you and a couple other such narcissists as Perzia, Meyers, Ogle. You all got it all figured out, but just never bring the evidence to the table.
Brain, I don't know what's
Brain, I don't know what's the larger howler, the transparent hypocrisy of your "character assassination " charge, or your likely inability to define the term "narcissist" to begin with.
Scott, to a towering genius,
Scott, to a towering genius, like Brian "narcissist" = anyone who questions his unfounded (and already widely discredited) bigoted bullcrap.
http://www.snopes.com/khizr-khan-is-a-muslim-brotherhood-agent/
I just read this entire
I just read this entire thread and would like to congratulate Brian Graz on making me actually root for Scott and Emma in an argument. You've done it! I never thought anyone could be so crass, uninformed and curmudgeonly in an online discussion as to cause that sort of turnabout. In other news, North and South Korea are about to reunify.
Also, your claims are
Also, your claims are absolutely laughable brainless nonsense. You really should take a few quick seconds to google things before you post them. It really isn't terribly difficult.
http://www.snopes.com/khizr-khan-is-a-muslim-brotherhood-agent/