Carolers To Serenade Congressional Scrooge On Staten Island

MOVEMENT FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY STATEN ISLAND PO Box 40921 Staten Island, NY 10304 statenisland@ mds-nyc.org www.mds-nyc. org

Contact: Elaine Brower 917.520.0767 Richie Marini 718.781.4443

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOLIDAY CAROLERS TO VISIT OFFICE OF NEW YORK CITY'S "ONLY CONGRESSIONAL SCROOGE"

Staten Island, NY. On Fridaym December 21st, the fourth iteration of the Iraq Moratorium, holiday carolers will gather at the Staten Island office of New York City's only "Congressional Scrooge" - Rep. Vito Fossella (R, 13th CD). Peace activists and military veterans from around the City will join members of the Raging Grannies at

4434 Amboy Road at 7 pm

- to serenade Fossella who has "stubbornly refused to meet with his constituents to discuss his voting record on the Iraq War," according to military mom Elaine Bower, who lives in Great Kills.

Brower, whose son has served two tours as a Marine - one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan - is an organizer with Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS), the group planning the event.

"We, who are voting constituents who live in the Congressman' s district, have made attempts to meet with him to express our genuine concern for his position on the war in Iraq. Over 70% of the Country is against this war, and that is also representative of residents of Staten Island. The least he could do is listen to our concerns, especially since my son will be redeployed for a third time in 2008. This back door draft is absolutely destroying our military."

Peace activists from Fossella's district have attempted, unsuccessfully, to meet with him since 2002, when he co-sponsored and voted for the Joint Resolution for the United States to use Armed Forces against Iraq. Earlier this year five of Fossella's constituents visited his office requesting to meet with their elected representative only to find themselves arrested and charged with criminal trespass - charges Fossella later dropped.

Despite proclaiming himself an "independent" , Fossella has consistently voted to fund the President's war in Iraq - in which 3,895 American soldiers have been killed since the war began in March of 2003, according to MDS. In October, 1st Lt. Ryan Miller, a Staten Island native, was seriously wounded in Iraq when his Stryker vehicle hit an I.E.D (Improvised Explosive Device) exploded killing the soldier sitting next to him. Despite appeals from the family Fossella did not attempt to contact the officer.

"Fossella does not support the troops with anything besides self serving rhetoric. He also ducks meetings with his constituents, " said Tom Good of MDS Staten Island. "Our holiday caroling is an effort to let the public know about Vito's scrooge-like behavior," he added.

The event is free and open to the public. Carolers, dressed in full holiday regalia, will gather at 7 pm at Vito Fossella's South Shore office - 4434 Amboy Rd. It is rumored that Santa Claus himself will show up to give Vito a piece of coal. Lyric sheets will be available for the holiday songs which have been adapted for the event. Attendees are asked to bring wax or electric candles, if possible.

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Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS) is an education and social action organization dedicated to increasing democracy in all phases of our common life. It seeks to promote the active participation of ordinary people in the formation of a movement to build a society free from poverty, ignorance, war, exploitation, racism and sexism.

For More Information: Contact Movement for a Democratic Society via email: info@movementforademocraticsociety.org

Or visit MDS on the web: www.movementforademocraticsociety. org

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