To the Editor:
I am a strong supporter of Cait Conley; I believe she will be an exceptional Representative and I also believe she has the best chance of ousting Mike Lawler in November. I would like to share with you some important points from her website in addition to my own thoughts:
From Cait’s website regarding her work history:
Mike Lawler and Beth Davidson are attempting to draw false links between Cait’s work and ICE that do not exist. (My analogy? Blaming someone for their 2nd cousin’s bad behavior.)
Cait Conley does not work for or with ICE.
Cait Conley does not work for or with Palantir.
Cait consults for two technology firms. These companies have nothing to do with immigration enforcement, and neither have contracts with ICE.
Cait’s work with these companies is related to partnering with state and local law enforcement to keep our families safe from terrorist attacks at sports stadiums and concert halls, and to keep our critical infrastructure, like hospitals, safe from cyber threats, as well as advising on counter-terrorist and efforts to fight drug trafficking.
Cait Conley is committed to regulating AI to ensure our safety and security, and is the only candidate in this field with the experience of actually doing it.
At CISA, Cait was part of efforts to develop guardrails for AI to ensure public safety, security and data and privacy protection. In Congress, Cait will ensure the US leads in AI innovation while strengthening safeguards against the adversarial use of AI and regulating Data Centers to ensure they don’t put an undue burden on our communities.
My personal opinion: Regarding AI, many of us are opposed to it, but it is here, here to stay and likely to grow. Wouldn’t it be to our benefit to have someone in Congress who has experience with AI?
I have heard Cait state multiple times that her reason for running is because after putting her life on the line for her country for 16 years, she no longer recognizes our country as it is today.
From Cait’s website:
Cait Conley has been consistent in how she will lead as a member of Congress, fighting back against the Trump Administration.
Cait has made clear throughout her campaign that she will hold ICE and Trump accountable for their crimes.
Cait has also said multiple times that as a combat veteran, and the only one among the candidates to have been in war, she never wants to see our sons & daughters go to war again.
Cait has been outspoken on the need to bring an end to the war in Iran and would have voted for the war powers resolution, and get to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine where there is safety and security for both peoples and we invest to rebuild.
My thoughts: Someone said the other night that there are 2 kinds of Veterans: those who like the excitement and violence of war and those who never want to see another one. It is an incredible misconception that veterans of war are always pro-war. Some may be, but others, likely the majority, Cait included, having seen war and knowing the costs, want to see action that PREVENTS war at all costs.
There is currently so much fake news being spread around that it is difficult to know what to believe, and it will/is getting worse: Mike Lawler and Republicans have taken notice of Cait, and they’re resorting to dirty tactics to try to stop her because he’s scared to face her in November. On Friday, it came out that a MAGA-tied dark money group is dumping $1.5 million in attack ads lying about Cait, because they know she is the candidate who can beat Lawler. I saw one of the ads this morning and it is strong, and totally untrue. Please try to separate the fact from the fake, and try to catch who is sponsoring the ad. It is likely one of the new PAC’s that was created for just this purpose. The one thing we all agree on is that we must unseat Mike Lawler.
I believe all of our candidates are qualified for the position, but I don’t think all of our candidates can beat Lawler. We need more than just the Democratic votes to beat him, so we need to attract unhappy Republicans and Independents. For all the reasons stated above, I truly believe that if we want to win the November election, we need Cait Conley as our candidate. You don’t have to agree with everything she does or says, no one is perfect, but if you really want to win against Mike Lawler in November, please re-read this, look at Cait’s website with an open mind and join me in voting for her in the primary election.
Thank you,
Maria Modica-Snow, Peekskill
