October 28, 2004: Headlines: COS - Fiji: Politics: Congess: Election2004 - Shays: Westport Minuteman: As a young man, Chris Shays was a conscientious objector and did not fight in the Vietnam War. He did, however, join the Peace Corps. Asked about his prior antiwar position and his current strong commitment to war in Iraq, Shays said that he had considered resigning in 1991 when Congress had to vote on whether or not to invade Iraq for the first time.

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Fiji: Special Report: Former Congressman Chris Shays: RPCV Congressman Chris Shays: Archived Stories: October 28, 2004: Headlines: COS - Fiji: Politics: Congess: Election2004 - Shays: Westport Minuteman: As a young man, Chris Shays was a conscientious objector and did not fight in the Vietnam War. He did, however, join the Peace Corps. Asked about his prior antiwar position and his current strong commitment to war in Iraq, Shays said that he had considered resigning in 1991 when Congress had to vote on whether or not to invade Iraq for the first time.

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-141-157-9-111.balt.east.verizon.net - 141.157.9.111) on Friday, October 29, 2004 - 11:56 pm: Edit Post

As a young man, Chris Shays was a conscientious objector and did not fight in the Vietnam War. He did, however, join the Peace Corps. Asked about his prior antiwar position and his current strong commitment to war in Iraq, Shays said that he had considered resigning in 1991 when Congress had to vote on whether or not to invade Iraq for the first time.

As a young man, Chris Shays was a conscientious objector and did not fight in the Vietnam War. He did, however, join the Peace Corps. Asked about his prior antiwar position and his current strong commitment to war in Iraq, Shays said that he had considered resigning in 1991 when Congress had to vote on whether or not to invade Iraq for the first time.

As a young man, Chris Shays was a conscientious objector and did not fight in the Vietnam War. He did, however, join the Peace Corps. Asked about his prior antiwar position and his current strong commitment to war in Iraq, Shays said that he had considered resigning in 1991 when Congress had to vote on whether or not to invade Iraq for the first time.

Shays proud of his record

By:Bonnie Adler, Staff Writer

10/28/2004

In a pre-election blitzkrieg, Fourth District Republican Congressman Christopher Shays peppered Fairfield County with appearances last week, determined to exploit each moment before the Nov. 2 election in which he is vigorously campaigning against Westport's Democratic First Selectwoman, Diane Farrell.

In a wide-ranging interview held at the Minuteman office in Westport, Shays stressed his independence and his long record of accomplishments in 30 years of public service, of which 17 have been in the United States Congress.

"I am proud to be a national leader with a real focus on local concerns," he said.

Shays, a staunch supporter of the Bush administration's stance on the war in Iraq, has visited that country six times and is deeply committed to fighting the war on terrorism in that country. Concerned early on with the potential for terrorism in Iraq, Shays held hearings in Congress calling for a Homeland Security Act well before Sept. 11, 2001. "I was one of the first to see the danger," he said. "I was called into meetings in Congress after 9/11 in which I was asked, 'How did you predict this?"'

Shays said that the United States should have intervened long before Sept. 11 to halt Saddam Hussein as he was illegally using oil-for-food money for missile projects and was actively reconstituting a chemical weapons industry in Iraq. Shays also said that although no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq by the United Nations, not only Republicans but nationally known Democrats such as Sen. Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton, and Sens. Joseph Lieberman, Charles Schumer, and Christopher Dodd all believed there were such weapons in that country.

On other national issues, Shays pointed to his leadership roles in OSHA, the Assault Weapons Ban, the police bill, congressional accountabiity, Campain Finance Reform, and the Balanced Budget Act and said, "Any one of those accomplishments would be quite something - taken together they are something to be very proud of."

Polls show Shays is running ahead of challenger Farrell with a narrower-than-expected single-digit lead, a surprisingly tight race for the eight-term congressman who has historically been popular in the Fourth District.

Farrell has consistently tried to tie Shays to the right wing of the Republican party, forcing the incumbent to defend a voting record that she claims has grown more in line with the conservative majority in the Republican Party.

Shays, for his part, told the MInuteman that Farrell's charges are "absurd." He pointed out that the most recent statistics compiled by Congressional Quarterly show he votes with his party 78 percent of the time, and that Arizona Sen. John McCain, who Farrell called a "true independent," had in fact voted with the Republicans 91 percent of the time.

Shays, who a few weeks ago surprised some observers by stating that if he lost this election he would like to run for mayor of Bridgeport, said that when he learned that he was in such a narrow lead against Farrell, he feared that the National Republican Campaign Committee would step in to "help" him campaign.

Shays said he would decline the committee's help because he wanted to remain completely independent and would not want to run a negative campaign. "I'd rather lose than accept their help and win on a negative campaign," he said.

However, Shays accused Farrell of running a fiercely partisan campaign, as well as some questionable campaign tactics, mentioning that he was asked by someone in the Farrell campaign to refrain from "touching" Farrell during their debates, and alluding to the fact that he feared a "last minute surprise" in the campaign.

He said, "People disagree with the way Diane has run her campaign. She says I'm not in the district, and asks, 'Where is Shays?' Well, I'm in Washington doing my job."

Shays pointed to problems in Farrell's two-term adminstration in Westport.

"Westport's bonded indebtedness has gone up six times, your property revaluation has been postponed, and you now have a scandal because taxpayers were sent bills for taxes due years ago," Shays said. "There are no apologies - just bills. Why didn't she know sooner (about the building permit backlog)?" Shays also noted that in Westport the fire engines go out on calls with only two men on a truck, a public protection issue. "Why are there only two men on a truck?" he said.

Addressing charges that Farrell has made about his independence from the Republican party, Shays said he has broken with his party on many important issues, such as supporting stem cell research, his pro-choice stance, his strong humanitarian and environmental record and voting against a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

Shays addressed questions about homeland security and the orange alerts issued by the government. He said he was called a "coward" by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg because he counseled people to stay out of Times Square on New Year's Eve last year. Shays was briefed in Congress about the dangers which could involve New York and told his friends and family to avoid New York at that time. He said he did not think it right that Congress was given information that the public was not.

"People have a right to know about the threats as long as we don't disclose sources and methods," he said.

As a young man, Shays was a conscientious objector and did not fight in the Vietnam War. He did, however, join the Peace Corps. Asked about his prior antiwar position and his current strong commitment to war in Iraq, Shays said that he had considered resigning in 1991 when Congress had to vote on whether or not to invade Iraq for the first time.

"At that time I had to come to grips with it," he said. "My job is to make sure our country is safe. The alternative was to resign."


©Westport Minuteman 2004





When this story was posted in October 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Kerry reaches out to Returned Volunteers Kerry reaches out to Returned Volunteers
The Kerry campaign wants the RPCV vote. Read our interview with Dave Magnani, Massachusetts State Senator and Founder of "RPCVs for Kerry," and his answers to our questions about Kerry's plan to triple the size of the Peace Corps, should the next PC Director be an RPCV, and Safety and Security issues. Then read the "RPCVs for Kerry" statement of support and statements by Dr. Robert Pastor, Ambassador Parker Borg, and Paul Oostburg Sanz made at the "RPCVs for Kerry" Press Conference.

RPCV Carl Pope says the key to winning this election is not swaying undecided voters, but persuading those already willing to vote for your candidate to actually go to the polls.

Take our poll and tell us what you are doing to support your candidate.

Finally read our wrap-up of the eight RPCVs in Senate and House races around the country and where the candidates are in their races.

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PCOL sits down for an extended interview with Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez. Read the entire interview from start to finish and we promise you will learn something about the Peace Corps you didn't know before.

Plus the debate continues over Safety and Security.
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Governor Schwarzenegger praised the Peace Corps at the Republican National Convention: "We're the America that sends out Peace Corps volunteers to teach village children." Schwarzenegger has previously acknowledged his debt to his father-in-law, Peace Corps Founding Director Sargent Shriver, for teaching him "the joy of public service" and Arnold is encouraging volunteerism by creating California Service Corps and tapping his wife, Maria Shriver, to lead it. Leave your comments and who can come up with the best Current Events Funny?
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Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and can you come up with a Political Funny?


Read the stories and leave your comments.






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Story Source: Westport Minuteman

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Fiji; Politics; Congess; Election2004 - Shays

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By Emily Suton 9HC (host86-141-175-190.range86-141.btcentralplus.com - 86.141.175.190) on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 - 12:42 pm: Edit Post

Hello .. I Am 13 Years Old And I Go To Stewards School In Harlow Essex(England). For My Religious Education Homework, I Had To Find An Example Of A Conscientious Objector. I Would Like To Say A Big Thankyou To This Website As If It Wasn't For You, I Would Not Have Been Able To Find One..

Thanks Again .. Emily Sutton 9HC
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