Peace advocates marked the ninth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq on Oct. 7 with a protest in front of Rep. Mike McMahon’s Bay Ridge office — demanding that our soldiers in the Middle East are immediately taken out of harm’s way.
Waving American flags and holding signs reading, “Bring Our Troops Home Now,” the half-dozen members of the Bay Ridge Interfaith Peace Coalition stood in front of the office on Fourth Avenue between 85th and 86th streets for two hours, lambasting McMahon (D-Bay Ridge) for his continued support of military engagements in Iraq.
“Over 12,000 Americans have lost their lives, and Congressman McMahon has consistently voted to fund the Middle East wars,” said protestor Vicki McFadyen. “It has to stop.”
McMahon, who is in the midst of a re-election battle against GOP challenger Michael Grimm, was not around to address the protestors, although the congressman’s staunch support of the war is well established.
At a recent debate, McMahon said the troops should be brought back home only after “they’ve completed the mission.”
In turn, his Republican opponent, a U.S. Marine and a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, said he wants American troops brought home immediately — but not because he’s doesn’t think they can win. He does not believe that the Obama administration has “the resolve to do what we need to do to win,” he said.
