Blue Spot

Check out this letter to the editor of Staten Island Advance:

Good thing I was able to retrieve my Sept. 26 copy of the Advance from the recycling pile or I would not have been able to compare Craig Donner's letter of Oct. 1 with Richard Reichard's letter on Sept. 26.

In his letter, Craig Donner, Congressman Vito Fossella's press secretary, claims that Mr. Reichard's letter distorts or misstates the facts. This is where it was helpful to have both letters to read side by side.

In his letter, Mr. Reichard criticizes Congressman Fossella for being the only member of the New York City congressional delegation to vote against the creation of the 9/11 Commission. The fact is that Congressman Fossella did vote against creating the 9/11 Commission according to roll-call vote 347 on July 25, 2002. The Advance in an editorial headlined, The wrong vote, even criticized Congressman Fossella for his vote against creating the 9/11 Commission.

Mr. Reichard also criticized Congressman Fossella for voting against screening all cargo overseas before it is shipped to our ports. Isn't it better to screen all the cargo over there, so we don't have to worry about it blowing up as it enters our ports?

On this vote, Mr. Reichard is once again accurate in stating Mr. Fossella's voting record. On May 4, 2006, Congressman Fossella voted against screening all cargo overseas.

All one has to do is go to the House of Representatives Web site and look at how members voted on roll-call vote 126. Finally Mr. Reichard criticized Congressman Fossella for not breaking with his party's leadership over the cut in Homeland Security funding for New York. Any review of Congressman Fossella's voting record shows that he votes with his party's leadership 90 percent of the time. He is not the independent fighter he claims to be.

At no point in his letter does Mr. Donner attempt to address Mr. Reichard's criticism of Congressman Fossella's voting record. Mr. Donner merely relies on personal attacks on Mr. Reichard.