Endorsed by Vets for Freedom

I am honored to have received the endorsement of Vets for Freedom, a group which is dedicated to strengthening our national security by electing combat veterans to federal office.

Below is their endorsement announcement.

(Washington DC) Vets for Freedom is proud to announce its support of Mike Rocque for United States Congress in the 20th District of New York. With a 20 year career as an officer in the Army, Mike proudly served in the Green Berets and then as a member of the Delta Force, the highest priority combat unit in the U.S. Military. Vets for Freedom applauds his commitment to continue his public service as a member of the United States House of Representatives

As a proud New York Army veteran of Iraq, I am humbled to speak on behalf of over 25,000 members of Vets for Freedom in offering our strong endorsement of Mike Rocque for United States Congress,” said Vets for Freedom Co-Chairman, David Bellavia. “Mike embodies the values which makes our military great. As a former Army Delta operative, Rocque has conditioned his mind and body at a world class level through some of the most difficult missions that could be asked of a fellow patriot. Mike has delivered time and time again for America, and he will again deliver for the good people of the 20th Congressional District.”

Bellavia continued, “In the Army we used to say that when things got bad enough, you called in the Special Forces to clean it up. Mike Rocque has answered our call. Upstate New Yorkers deserve a warrior to fight for our ideals and values. Mike Rocque is this soldiers’ choice for the 20th District. Mike Rocque is a true American patriot, and I am proud to offer the support of Vets for Freedom.”

Vets for Freedom is a nonpartisan organization established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its mission is to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts by applying our first-hand knowledge to issues of American military strategy. For more information, please visit www.vetsforfreedom.org.

Statement on DC vs Heller

Below is my statement responding to the Supreme Court decision which struck down the Washington DC gun ban and, more importantly, ruled that the second amendment guarantees an individual right.

Mike Rocque, Republican and Conservative candidate for US Congress in the 20th Congressional district, today applauded the Supreme Court ruling in the case DC vs Heller.

“The Supreme Court has affirmed what most of us already knew: that the second amendment protects the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms,” said Rocque.

“It’s no coincidence that the Founding Fathers put the second amendment right next to the first. Responsible firearm ownership plays an important part in maintaining each and every one of our rights as Americans,” said Rocque.

Rocque added, “The reminders of why we must continue to defend our second amendment rights, and all the other individual freedoms in the Bill of Rights, are all around us. They come in the form of the high taxes taken from us to support our bloated federal government, and the excessive regulations that drive our businesses to other countries or out of business altogether. The most ominous reminder is the culture present today in Washington DC under which lawmakers believe they can spend our tax dollars as if it were their own money. Only by keeping power in the hands of private citizens can we provide an ample check on the ever-present threat of oppressive big government.”

“The Founding Fathers enshrined this important right in the most permanent way they knew how, in the Constitution itself, and they did so knowing that individuals, and not just the government, must have the right to keep and bear arms for a society to remain free,” said Rocque.

“More than two hundred years ago, it was firearms in the hands of patriots that gave this country the freedoms we hold so dear. Today, this individual right allows us to maintain those same freedoms which are the foundation of our great country. It gives me peace of mind to know that the Supreme Court shares this view,” said Rocque.

Rocque, of Clifton Park, is a lifetime member of the NRA.

Talking with John Sigler

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to chat with John Sigler, the President of the National Rifle Association (thanks to Scott Emslie for the photo). The President and I discussed how I am the 2nd amendment candidate in the race for the 20th Congressional district, and the only candidate who is an NRA life member. I met President Sigler at the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association’s state meeting at the Wallkill Rod and Gun Club.

At West Point

Last week I had the honor and privilege to address a group of Cadets at West Point. My presentation to them focused on the globe today, how to best prepare themselves to lead our Army into the future and the importance of their ability to effectively employ the four elements of US power – Diplomacy, Economic, Information and Military.

I have always believed that information is the most important of the four elements. Used properly with the first two elements it can make the fourth element less necessary. I challenged the future leaders of our Army to remember this.  Information and our ability to communicate it will win the war on terror.

Iraq

Over the past two days, the commander of American forces in Iraq – General David H. Petraeus – testified before Congress on the state of the war in that fledgling democracy. On the whole, the news was positive – we’ve made gains and the year-old troop surge did in fact keep the situation on the ground from spiraling out of control. Yet, the General acknowledged that there was still much work to be done and winning this war was going to require more sacrifice on the part of the American people.

In response to this honest assessment of the military situation in Iraq, Democrats lined up not to offer support to America’s military men and women during a time of war, but to continue to play politics with American lives, national security and global stability. Hillary Clinton is quoted in the New York Times as saying, “I think it’s time to begin an orderly process of withdrawing our troops.”

I’ve been consistent and clear over the course of this campaign about what’s at stake in Iraq. This war is not about politics but about our security and way of life. This war is winnable and must be won. It must not be won for the glory of victory, but for the sake of all those around the world that long for freedom only to be terrorized by Islamic extremism and the cult of terror that goes with it. While Iraq is but one component in dismantling the global network of Islamic extremism, it is the front-line of a global strategy and Iraq is a country that must know freedom for the sake of the rest of the world.

The Democrats accuse the White House of engaging in a war with no exit strategy. Success is our exit strategy in Iraq and in the war on terror across the globe. Senators calling for a withdrawal from Iraq to accelerate our gains in Afghanistan are both naïve and dangerous in a time of war. They see this war as one where a president has asked the men and women of our military to sacrifice, bleed, and die for the people of another country on the far side of the world. I view success as never having to relive the horrors of 9-11 through an act of terror on American soil.

I have fought in wars and, as a former military commander, I know that war is neither pretty nor politically expedient. It is a last resort in the face of a dire threat to our national security. The military is the only option left when the other three pillars of American National Power – diplomacy, economic measures, and intelligence – have failed to produce results. Wars end with either victory or defeat. One does not simply withdraw to fight the war somewhere else. The sooner the Democrats in Congress - the same Democrats who were all too willing to vote for war when it was politically popular – come to grips with these basic tenets of warfare, the sooner General Petraeus and his troops can get back to winning this war.

This Was Not An Early April Fools Joke

The irony of Congresswoman Gillibrand holding a town hall meeting on “Rising Costs of Taxes on Upstate Families” is so thick I hardly know where to begin. This is the same woman who only weeks ago voted along with her Democrat party leaders for the largest tax increase in U.S. history. To try and wash her hands of that and then blame the state of NY for the economic hardships of those of us living in the district is simply contemptuous.

If she really wants to give Americans a hint on how to save money on federal taxes, here’s one: vote in fiscally responsible representatives to the United States Congress.

Taxes, national security, immigration, and integrity are all issues I look forward to debating with Mrs. Gillibrand during the general election.

Honoring The Fallen

Today is a sad anniversary in the global war on terror. The loss of 4,000 American lives halfway across the world is tragic not only for our nation but for the families of those brave men and women and I mourn with each and every one of them. I believe that the best way to honor their memories is to complete the mission for which they gave their lives.

To my mind, the mission in Iraq has become the central battlefield in the global war against Islamic extremism. Arguing why we went there in the first place does not change the fact that we are there now. This war is not about political vanity but about the pursuit and protection of freedom. For America to remain strong in the world and secure at home, our military must successfully conclude its mission in Iraq.

The young men and women in our military serving in Iraq and around the world today continue to remind me of the best of what our country has to offer – the few sacrificing for the many. So today, as so many do every day, let us observe a moment of silence to remember the fallen and honor them by committing to succeeding in this mission.

Iraq, Five Years Later

Five years ago, the United States entered into a war with a bloody dictator. As has been my experience as a combat veteran, battles have been lost and won. The dictator was toppled. An entire country was set free. A new generation of Iraqis discovered what it means to vote in a free election.

Today is a day to celebrate those victories. Today is also a day to remember the fallen, to reach out to the wounded and to support the men and women still fighting on the front lines.

Today is a day to remember what this war is about. It is about securing the freedom of a nation that suffered too long under the tyrannical rule of a man without conscience. Winning this war means a new ally in the war on terror. Winning this war will give hope to the millions of Chinese, Cubans, North Koreans and all of the oppressed people in this world who long for freedom and look to America as a sentinel of liberty.

Today is a day for all Americans to stand together in solidarity; to stand against oppression and injustice; to stand against the unspeakable evils visited on too many in this world.

Today is a day to celebrate freedom.

So Much For A Discussion

On March 4, Maury Thompson at the Glens Falls Post Star reported that Congresswoman Gillibrand wanted a discussion regarding the Protect American Act – a bi-partisan bill designed to provide intelligence vital to protecting American lives from terror plots. At the time, I questioned her motives in a statement on this blog.

As a former commander of a Delta Force special operations squadron who has fought in combat in places like Iraq and in the Balkans, I like to think I know a little something about intelligence gathering and the role timely intelligence plays in ensuring American lives are protected. I’ve seen timely intelligence lead to the success of a mission and a lack of intelligence lead to the needless loss of American lives.

In Maury’s follow-up story, Mrs. Gillibrand admitted that a lack of knowledge of intelligence gathering methods prevented her from voting in favor of the Protect America Act, yet less than two weeks later she found herself expert enough to vote against our national security yet again with no public debate on the issue. I wonder what discussions she had and what intelligence experts she met with that convinced her she was thoroughly briefed on the issue.

With her vote, Mrs. Gillibrand has chosen not to do what is right and best for our country but what is right and best for one of the largest groups of political donors to the Democrat party. Let me put it another way. With her vote, Mrs. Gillibrand and her party leaders are trading national security for campaign contributions.

I look forward to the opportunity to debate Mrs. Gillibrand on national security in the general election and to remind her that the role of a junior congresswoman is to protect the interests of her country and her constituency, not the donors and party bosses who clearly pull her political strings.

The District of Columbia vs. Heller

As the Supreme Court hears The District of Columbia vs. Heller today, I want to remind the voters in NY’s 20th Congressional district that I unequivocally believe the Second Amendment to the Constitution grants every citizen of the United States the right to keep and bear arms. I have said so before in this blog and am prepared to defend that position as your representative in Washington, D.C and as a fellow gun owner.

At stake, however, are not just the rights of gun owners, but the God-given rights of all Americans. At stake is our right as individuals to pursue our dreams and livelihoods unfettered by big government and collective agendas aimed at robbing Americans of their individual freedoms.

I have faith that the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Roberts, will interpret the amendment as the Founders intended and will send a clear message that they will not tolerate the left’s continued assault on the individual rights clearly stated in the Bill of Rights.