Incredible: Murtha Unhinged - Racists and Rednecks

~Snooper~

I try and stay away from writing about John Murtha because every time I do, I feel soiled and violated and no matter how much I scrub and no matter how many times I shower, the filth doesn't seem to be gone. The man is a lout and he disgusts me and besmirches the names of the Troops all for the Almighty Political Power.

He destroyed the lives and the careers of eight of his "fellow" Marines for political expediency and he is one of the subjects in my research in my quest to expose the Dems and Terrorists Syndrome or, DTS. All but one Marine have been exonerated and hopefully the last one will also be cleared...he was once but someone is now trying to save face. Pathetic.

Anyway, we have all heard by now that he made the claim that Western Pennsylvania was a racist area namely because Obama is doing poorly there and since he made that statement, Barack began to fair worse. Murtha then went on and said that he really didn't mean what he said. He is a typical member of the Leftinistra and as Jim O'Neill stated in his article at Canada Free Press in regards to Obama, Murtha is now in the SOP mode by conducting himself as follows: "Obfuscate, misdirect, and downplay all dangerous questions, but most importantly, simply deny." Murtha is in the OWM...Official Waffle Mode. It isn't working.

Murtha canceled the scheduled debate with his opponent LTC William Russell, of whom Cyber Pastor and myself had lunch with him in DC during a Vets For Freedom event. I also accompanied, by invitation, LTC Russell and at least two Haditha Marines to Murtha's office in DC. At first, he wasn't there but then we learned he was there and did not have the time to visit with his constituents but later on had the time to meet with Code Skank. The man, and I use that term very loosely, is a coward. I was there when LTC Russell issued the Debate Challenge to one of Murtha's "helpers" there in his office and heard for myself that "Rep Murtha always puts the Troops first".

All of us in the group mentioned that we are the Troops and we didn't see it that way.

Now, in light of his political cowardice of not visiting with his constituents that oppose his standings and will meet with constituents and non-constituents that agree with him, and having lied about the Haditha non-Massacre, and calling his constituents racists and then "un-calling" them that, he cancels his debate with LTC Russell. And now...and now the worthless toad Murtha has come out and shot himself in the foot one more time. His district is now not racists but they are rednecks.

From Saleno Zito of the Forty-Fourth Estate:

On the heels of telling the Pittsburgh Tribune Review that racism would play into the vote in Western Pennsylvania for president next month, Rep. Jack Murtha told local Pittsburgh television station WTAE that it's difficult for many in the area to change, saying just five to 10 years ago the entire area was "redneck."

You have to wonder how residents of Pennsylvania like the descriptive phrases that have been piled on in the past few months. First, it was bitter and God and gun clinging, then it was racist, now they are rednecks.

In an interview with reporter David Brown at the Trib today, John McCain took exception to the “good people in Western Pennsylvania’ being framed as racists.

"I'm going to tell people in Western Pennsylvania that I don't believe they are racists, as Congressman Murtha alleges," said McCain, in the interview. He called the comment "disgraceful." Murtha, a Johnstown Democrat, has apologized for the racist comments.

Murtha last week said that a racist mindset in Western Pennsylvania could cost Obama as much as four percentage points at the polls.

"Congressman Murtha made inexcusable statements. I'm glad he apologized but that's the nature of Congressman Murtha,” McCain said. "Why anybody would say that about the good people in Western Pennsylvania or anywhere else in America is utterly inexcusable."

No word on McCain’s feelings about rednecks.

Well, I know how he feels about it and so does everyone else. Murtha doesn't and Murtha is in a panic. Nothing will please me more than watching Murtha pack his crap and move out of DC.

The following are articles, pieces and posts I have read to develop the above post and no authors were injured in the development:

Vets 4 Russell, Weasel Zippers, Pat Dollard, CEM, Ace, CR, NB, BF, MM, GP, Ace, HA, TCB, PL, drillanwr,

Yid With Lid wrote this a while back in regards to Murtha...

"You can wipe the rest of your life Mister, you will never wipe off that yellow stain"-Caine Mutiny

At the end of the Caine Mutiny, Jose Ferrer delivers that classic line as he flings a glass of champagne into Fred McMurray's face. The reason for the outburst was McMurray's character's cynicism.

It is not often that one can call a former US Marine a COWARD, but John Murtha fits that bill. He is a disgrace to congress, but even worse, he is a disgrace to that uniform that he once wore. Not only did he commit slander against US Troops in Iraq saddling them with false massacre charges but he also called his constituents RACISTS. Now he is refusing to debate his challenger, Army Lt. Col. Bill Russell: [...]

Bingo and Roger That.

More at Pittsburgh News with video here...and the Power Line post linked above is gathering data that may be pointing to a LTC Russell win over Murtha, Saints be Praised!

What a Difference a Day Makes--Chessani Update

Cross Posted from Miss Beth's Victory Dance here:


Yesterday, those of us who have been following the Haditha Marines case were rewarded with the news Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani had all charges against him dismissed. And about time, too. That's seven out of eight, with one Marine left to be cleared.

Today, on the heels of the news Chessani was looking into the possibility of suing not only Rep. John Murtha (an ex-Marine himself who threw these Marines under the bus by smearing them publicly by stating they were "cold blooded killers" and thereby tainting any possible jury pool and thereby effectively denying the Marines due process under the Constitution), but also Time magazine reporter Tim McGuirk, it came to light the government has filed an appeal in the case.

Here is the WND article reporting this monstrous travesty (snarky comments and emphasis mine):

IN THE MILITARY
Haditha Marine prepares to sue Murtha over smear
Congressman had accused soldiers of killing 'in cold blood'
Posted: June 18, 2008
6:14 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani

With most of the eight Marines charged in the Haditha, Iraq, incident now exonerated, the highest-ranking officer among the accused, with the government trying to salvage its allegations against him on appeal, is considering a lawsuit against Democratic Rep. John Murtha, who fueled the case by declaring the men cold-blooded killers.

In an interview with nationally syndicated radio talk host Michael Savage, the lead attorney for Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani said he and his client will look into suing Murtha and the Time magazine reporter Tim McGuirk, who first published the accusations by Iraqi insurgents.

But the attorney, Brian Rooney, said nothing will happen immediately because he wants Chessani, described as a devout Christian and the father of six homeschooled children, completely "out of the woods" legally before any action is taken. The government, through Lt. Col. S.M. Sullivan, today filed a notice that it would appeal the case to the next judicial level.

As WND reported, a military judge at Camp Pendleton in California yesterday dismissed charges that Chessani failed to properly investigate the Nov. 19, 2005 incident in which 24 Iraqi men, women and children were killed.

Rooney, an attorney for the Thomas More Law Center who served a tour of duty in Iraq himself, is urging citizens to tell their representatives in Congress and military officials that they want the case to come to an end.

"At some point you have to have somebody in the chain of command, whether it's civilian or military, saying enough is enough," said Rooney, who served with Chessani in the second battle of Fallujah.

Rooney told Savage the Haditha case is the largest investigation in the history of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, with 65 agents assigned by the government.

The filing of charges against Chessani was approved by Gen. James Mattis, then commander of the Marine Corps Forces Central Command and commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton. Mattis has been promoted to commander of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and commander of U.S. Joint Forces.

"This is the most important case since Vietnam, if not before," Rooney said. "There's no doubt about it."

He noted the New York Times featured the case on the front page when it was being compared by war critics to the infamous My Lai massacre in Vietnam. But now, with evidence the Haditha accusations were a smear, the story has been relegated to the back pages.

The military judge, Col. Steve Folsom, dismissed Chessani's charges without prejudice, giving permission for the prosecutors to continue trying to build a case that began in December 2006.

Four Marines were charged with murder and another four with not properly investigating the incident.

Defense lawyers contend insurgents deliberately attacked the Marines from hiding places where they surrounded themselves with civilians to use as shields. The defense insisted Chessani promptly reported the events to his superiors and that nobody in the chain of command believed there was any wrongdoing on the part of the Marines.

Libel and defamation

Rooney acknowledged to Savage it's difficult to sue a sitting congressman, but he believes it can be done.

"If he leaves his realm of speaking from the congressman's point of view … then he can be sued for libel and defamation," Rooney said.

The Time magazine story, according to Rooney, was planted by an insurgent propaganda agent. Publishing of the story was soon followed by a May 17, 2006, news conference by Murtha. The congressman announced he had been told by the highest levels of the Marine Corps there was no firefight and Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

"All the information I get, it comes from the commanders, it comes from people who know what they're talking about," Murtha told reporters at the time.

Murtha's assertions, however, conflicted with results from the military's own investigations. An initial probe by Army Col. G.A. Watt found no indications coalition forces "intentionally targeted, engaged and killed noncombatants." Later, Army Maj. Gen. Aldon Bargewell found no cover-up.

Nevertheless, the Marine Corps eventually brought charges against Chessani and seven other Marines.

But now the cases against Lance Cpls. Stephen Tatum and Justin Sharratt, Capts. Randy Stone and Lucas McConnell and Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz have been dropped. First Lt. Andrew Grayson has been acquitted, leaving only the case of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich untested in court and Chessani prosecutors facing the hurdles of the appeal process.

WND previously reported a military jury of seven officers acquitted Grayson of all charges.

The ruling by Col. Folsom yesterday followed a previous decision in which he confirmed evidence of unlawful command influence.

The evidence indicated two generals who controlled Chessani's case were influenced by Marine lawyer Col. John Ewers, who was allowed to attend at least 25 closed-session meetings in which the case was discussed.

Throwing Marines under the bus

Rooney acknowledged the Haditha case taken a toll on the Marine Corps.

"There's no doubt it's affected recruiting," he told Savage. "How could you have your sons or daughters join the Marine Corps when you're not sure the government will protect them?"

Rooney was asked by Savage why he thought Murtha, a former Marine himself, accused the officers and enlisted men.

"In my opinion, it's clear it was done during the election cycle, it was done to bolster himself in the party," the attorney said. "He was vying for a leadership position, and if he had to throw some Marines under the bus to do so, that was the cost of power for him."

He hopes soon politicians will weigh in on the case in support of Chessani and the others.

"I would think all politicians, especially politicians that have military records, should say something about this case," he said.

"In a horrible and very complex environment, when you have an enemy that's using women and children as shields, you should always give the benefit of the doubt to the Marine or soldier," said Rooney. "You should never bring him back and put him in front of a court martial."

Just who do you think is behind this obscenity? I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count. Note above I described Murtha as an EX-Marine. There are only two EX-Marines--Lee Harvey Oswald and John Murtha. All others are FORMER Marines. And the pork fat, earmark king would also be? Why, John Murtha! And is this the SAME John Murtha who deployed to an elevator and refused to answer questions when queried when he would be apologizing to these men? DING, DING, DING! Right again! Just a refresher, here's Murtha's famous deployment (Thanks Michelle Malkin!):



Maybe Murtha's not able to handle TWO lawsuits filed against him for his big fat mouth? Remember about 100 years ago in internet time, another of the slandered Marines, Sgt. Frank Wuterich (the last Marine waiting exoneration) has already filed suit--Hot Air has that report here. If I properly recall, Murtha was not allowed to "talk" his way out of testifying in that case regarding his actions. Yes, I do recall properly and The Crypt at Politico has that story here.

So, WHEN is Murtha going to apologize? How about, in a real good Samaritan turn Murtha call an end to this nonsense once and for all.

Wow, those crickets are loud!

Haditha Marines: Charges Dismissed On Seven, One Left, and John Murtha Has Still Not Apologized

(Image from Defend Our Marines)

Out eight, now there is only one left....charges against the 7th, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, have been dismissed.

Michelle Malkin has the story and she is paging John Murtha...

I asked long ago, right here at Wake up America, when John Murtha was going to apologize for publicly calling these eight men, cold-blooded killers, without benefit of an investigation or trial.

Marine after Marine has had the charges dismissed and Murtha still has not apologized for slandering them publicly.

Malkin provides the number to call Murtha and ask him where his public apology is?

Fight the smears. Call John “Cold-blooded” Murtha for comment: 202-225-2065.

I will add a little bit to that..... people need to confront John Murtha, relentlessly, until he gives these Marines, their families, friends and supporters the public apology we all deserve from that traitor.

So, from a couple of previous posts, here are multiple ways to reach John Murtha:

For those that agree that John Murtha owes this Marine and the others a huge apology for making statements about their guilt without a benefit of a trial and having now found out that all charges have been dropped, below I am listing the ways for you to contact him.


Via the Web:

His Web Contact Form.

Call him:

800-289-2642 from Western PA (or) 814-535-2642 (or) 202-225-2065


Fax him:

814-539-6229 -- District
202-225-5709 -- Washington

Write him or Visit him:

647 Main St, Suite 401
Johnstown, PA 15901

For those that want to visit him, here are some directions, right from his website.

Directions to Congressman Murtha's Main District Office

People sometimes need or want to find our main office in Johnstown for various reasons. We can't offer directions from every community in this sprawling new 12th District, but these should be sufficient for most people to find their way.

From Uniontown, the fastest route is:

• Take US-119 North.
• Turn Right onto PA-31 East.
• Turn Left onto PA-711 at Donegal and proceed through Ligonier.
• Turn Right onto PA-271 about five miles north of Ligonier.
• Remain on PA-271 into the City of Johnstown -- the Route becomes Menoher Boulevard, makes a right turn onto Haynes Street at a traffic signal, passes through 3 traffic signals and turns left at the 5th traffic signal onto Bedford Street.
• Proceed one block on Bedford Street and turn Right onto Main Street
• 647 Main Street is called the Feeder Canal Building and on the left immediately past the railroad tracks. Parking is available on Feeder Street across from the building.
• Estimated Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes; Total Distance: 67 miles.

From Washington , PA , the fastest route is:

• Take I-70 E toward New Stanton .
• Take Exit-9 at Donegal.
• Turn Left onto PA-31 east for a very short distance.
• Turn Left onto PA-711 North, and follow 711 through Ligonier.
• Turn Right onto PA-271 about five miles north of Ligonier.
• Remain on PA-271 into the City of Johnstown -- the Route becomes Menoher Boulevard, makes a right turn onto Haynes Street at a traffic signal, passes through 3 traffic signals and turns left at the 5th traffic signal onto Bedford Street.
• Proceed one block on Bedford Street and turn Right onto Main Street
• 647 Main Street is called the Feeder Canal Building and on the left immediately past the railroad tracks. Parking is available on Feeder Street across from the building.
• Estimated Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes; Total Distance: 90 miles.

From the New Kensington area, the fastest route is:

• Take PA-366 East.
• Turn Right onto PA-66.
• Merge onto US-22 East toward Blairsville.
• Turn Right on PA-56 East.
• After entering the City of Johnstown , remain on Route 56 through several turns and a series of traffic signals on Broad Street , which is both PA-56 and PA-403.
• The road turns right and follows the Conemaugh River under a railroad overpass.
• Turn Left at the next traffic signal onto Washington Street .
• Turn Right at the fourth traffic signal onto PA-271/Clinton Street .
• Turn Left at the second traffic signal onto Main Street .
• 647 Main Street is called the Feeder Canal Building and on the left immediately past the railroad tracks. Parking is available on Feeder Street across from the building.
• Estimated Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes; Total Distance: 60 miles.

From most places in Cambria or Somerset Counties , the fastest route is:

• Take Route 219 North or South toward Johnstown .
• Merge onto Route 56 West/Johnstown Expressway.
• Take the first Downtown Johnstown exit -- Bedford Street .
• Turn Right at the end of the exit ramp onto Adams Street .
• Proceed one block and turn Left at the stop sign onto Main Street
• 647 Main Street is called the Feeder Canal Building and on the right immediately past Feeder Street (just before the railroad tracks). Parking is available on Feeder Street across from the building.

What is everyone waiting for, lets tell John Murtha exactly how we feel, shall we?

All previous pieces on the Haditha Marines can be found on one page here.

.

War News: Battleground Pennsylvania

~Snooper~

Well, at least for Rep Murtha. He has some 'splainin' to do in more ways than one. As you will recall, or not, some time ago, via some shady goings on, LTC William Russell was removed from the PA ballot and it was concocted at such a time that there would not be enough time to go around and run a round to get the signatures that he needed.

The next order of battle was to have at least 1,000 PA voters in the 12th District write in the name of William Russell. Primary day came and went and lo and behold, miracles of miracles, the goal was not only met but was exceeded and they are still counting them.

Tonight, LTC William Russell will be on the American Truth Warriors Blog Talk Radio show at 1900 hours EST (7 PM EST for you civilians). He will explain The Why he started in on this journey and how he overcame the back door shenanigans of the man he seeks to unseat this November.

Please join us as an Iraq War Veteran blazes a new path to bring Truth, Justice and the American Way back to the tainted and dishonorable halls of CONgress.

His web site is here and the other Iraq War Veterans blazing the same trails can be found here.

Tune in here and listen and/or participate in the chat room...we will have to register with BTR to chat...guests are welcome but guests cannot participate in the chat room. Not my rule. The call-in number to ask LTC Russell questions is 646-652-2670.

Help Defeat and Trounce Murtha...

~Snooper~

Seeing that it is election season for Murtha, he has changed directions due to wind change, and has stated that the Surge is working. Whoever and wherever the enemies of our Troops are or may be, we will trounce them if at all possible. Trouncing Murtha is an extreme case of Must Do.

I received the following in my email:

I'd like to ask you a big favor: would you please put the attached on your blog or, alternatively, send it to people on your e-mail list. The Russell Campaign against Murtha has a very good chance of succeeding, but in politics there are "three M's": get your message across, mobilize your supporters, and raise enough money to achieve the first two points.

The Russell Campaign has already forced John Murtha to change his "position" on the Surge in Iraq. And it's only December. By next November, John Murtha will be making retirement plans, but that will only happen if you help. Thanks in advance.

(Note: If you don't want to put the entire message up, link to one of my sites below, both of which feature Russell's request.)

Stephen R. Maloney

camp2008victory

stevemaloney

Friends:

The holidays are in full swing, and we're all making lists and shopping for gifts for our friends and family. Add Bill to your list and make sure that he has a Merry Christmas and a happy election season! We are counting down the 7 days leading to Christmas with a variety of important items the campaign needs to roll full steam ahead into the 2008 election season.

Your gift will be the difference in how the 2008 election season starts for Bill. His campaign needs the resources to travel, run ads on TV, host rallies and contact voters directly. The contribution you make to Bill's campaign will buy tangible things that will go a long way towards making Bill's bid for Congress successful. Your gift of $1000 will make a day on the bus possible. $500 today will allow the campaign to run four television ads in the 12th Congressional District. Even your gift of $50 or $25 can make a big difference in what we're doing. These are things that Bill's campaign needs and this is your opportunity to give Bill a gift that will really help him in his bid for Congress.

Bill has a vision for a secure, unified and prosperous 12th Congressional District and America, but we can only make it real if his campaign has the funds to win. Making a contribution to Bill's campaign in the 7 days leading to Christmas will ensure that. Give his campaign a Christmas present that will help carry Bill to victory!

"You know, I am a strong consistent common sense conservative, but the most important issue facing our country and will be for a long time, is national security, and the safety of our people. I've spent a lot of time both in and out of the 12th Congressional District traveling, and talking to leaders. I know the country and the community we live in and I know what we need to do. I know that it's going to require strong leadership."

Thanks for your help.

Bill Russell

PS: Give Bill a Christmas gift of $1000; $500; $100 or even $50 or $25 to help him beat Mr. Murtha.

Larry Stiles, USMC-Vietnam Veteran

Campaign Manager

William Russell for Congress

Help us help William Russell! Murtha must go!

The Words That Murtha Said?

~Snooper~

As previously posted here, the shock wave thrusting through the rank and file of the moonbats and Leftinistra, no matter the political affiliation, of Congressman Jack Murtha's "report" that the Surge is working, is creating a mammoth intestinal quandary.

Blue Crab Boulevard has it pegged...

[...] The polls changed and so did the weather vane that is John Murtha. AllahPundit has video of Murtha denouncing other Democrats who came back from Iraq saying there was real progress. (The weather hadn't changed then, apparently.) No matter how he tries to qualify this, Murtha just did a complete 180. My guess is that he is seeing polling that he is very worried about. This corrupt piece of work would not reverse course so completely unless he was actually worried - to the point of being frantic - about something. [...]

It could be that the winds of change are blowing his Lifer status into the Abyss of Obscurity and the challenge to the DIShonorable Toad Murtha by Lt. Col. William Russell has him worried a tad. Or, it could be that the lawsuit against him over his self-induced quagmire of ignorance, stupidity and blatant lies for political opportunism, is getting to him and perhaps he just won't be able to get the US Justice Dept on his side.

Quote of the day on this news come from Riehl World View: Murtha: The Surge Is Working

Well, duh!

LOL!!

Capt Ed seems to think that Jack Lad has redeployed to Okinawa.

John Murtha has spent most of the last two years demanding an end to the deployment in Iraq -- well, apart from the time he spends porking up appropriations in the House. He has insisted that the war has been lost, and in January plotted to kneecap the surge before it began. Murtha has worked tirelessly to declare defeat this year, threatening the funding for General David Petraeus unless it gets tied to a retreat. [...]

No doubt. Polipundit is guessing "he's got a willing suspension of disbelief".

Q and O has a thing or two to say...

[...] Although very late, welcome to the club, Congressman. Is that hell I see freezing over?

Hello, Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi?

Any comment?

Crickets, I am sure. And there is a great video collection at Hot Air. Some are saying that The Troops spiked his Thanksgiving meal with something but The Troops aren't saying. But Sister Toldjah won't ever forget the fools' Thanksgiving greeting just before he left for Iraq. Neither will A Newt One.

This week, around our Thanksgiving tables, there will be two families: One who say they support the troops, and they do, but they have sacrificed very little. They haven't had their taxes raised, they haven't been drafted, and they don't really participate in the war. The other are military families who have husbands and wives, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters in the war theater. It's them who shoulder the burden of the President's Iraq policy. America owes them our thanks in this Thanksgiving weekend. [...]

Jerk. And then he has the audacity to sup with the very people he shiites on for political gain? And then returns home to say that which he has? The Toad, using ITS logical fallacy, is equally complicit in the "President's Iraq Policy". Friggin' moron.


Catch the wave at meme...and here...

Listen to what the Libtards are spinning...

Hell Hath Frozeneth Overeth: Murtha...The Surge Is Working!

~Snooper~

Oh. My. God.

I. Wonder. If. The. Haditha. Marines. Are. Innocent. As. Well?

HT Hot Air:

Via Bill Amos. I'm not giving you the direct link yet; I want you to watch this clip from July first so you can appreciate his ignorance, hypocrisy, and defeatism. CNN had him on for reaction after lefty war supporters Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack returned from a week in Iraq and declared that conditions were improving, drawing furious attacks from the nutroots and the fawning cretins in Congress who represent them. A trip to Iraq, sneers Murtha; who could learn anything meaningful from that? [...]

Go read the rest and check out the before and after vids PLUS a special vid.

Check out Blackfive while you are at it...
Little Green Footballs

Help Trower Russell Beat Murtha -- Now!

Back on October 30, 2007, we brought news to you about a challenger to one of the most corrupt politicians in Washington toady, John Murtha and today we join with Murtha Must Go to help see to it that John Murtha is not reelected.

By Stephen R. Maloney and cross posted here at Wake up America with full permission.

Help Trower Russell Beat Murtha -- Now!

If you blog, please join the many bloggers for Russell. Do so by e-mailing Steve at TalkTop65@aol.com or leave a comment at Steve's other web site.


This is an absolutely crucial time for Lt. Col. Trower Russell's campaign against John Murtha. This is the period where Trower and his campaign manager, Larry Stiles (USMC), will establish the foundation for victory. These two fine men have gone "above and beyond the call of duty," and they must ask the same of you and their other supporters. The best way to know what to do and when to do it is to go to Trower Russell's site.

Over the next week, I'll be writing here and on my other blog, and I hope you'll be reading.

William Trower Russell's initial campaign tour will begin with a short prayer at the Flight 93 Memorial with stops in Boswell, Latrobe, Uniontown, Waynesburg, Washington, Arnold, Ford City, Indiana and Johnstown. Russell's website will chronicle Russell's travels across the 12th District with descriptions from the candidate himself.

If you live outside the 12th congressional district of PA, please start searching you mind to see if you know anyone who lives in or near the towns listed above (in the following counties: Cambria, Washington, and Greene). If you do, please contact them and ask them to support one of America’s true “Warriors,” Lt. Col. William Trower Russell.

"I want to Turn the Tide in the 12th District for our nation’s security and our economic future. I am looking forward to speaking with folks all over our district and sharing ideas on how we can make this happen," said Russell. "I'm very sure we will have fun along the way!"

On my other blog, I wrote about the Campaign dinner/meeting held on Thursday in Johnstown. It was an inspiring event, and the optimism was at a very high level. On Monday and Tuesday, I’ll be writing on the following subject: “John Murtha: Bringing Home the Bacon – or Bringing Home American Soldiers in Body Bags?” In fact, to gain political advantage among left-leaning Democrats, Murtha has put at risk American lives.

Obviously, this will not be a campaign that emphasizes political niceties.

If you want to see what I mean about Murtha's deplorable actions against American fighting men and fighting women, scroll down to see Sean Hannity's interview of Justin Sharratt and his dad. Justin Sharratt is a hero, and Murtha accused him -- falsely -- of war crimes.

This a campaign that pits an American hero, Trower Russell, against one of the most cynical, corrupt politicians ever to haunt the halls of Congress. Because the residents of the 12th congressional district are basically good people, they will in the end send Trower Russell to the House of Representatives. At the same time, you can send Murtha where he belongs: into oblivion.

Right now, in the early stages of the campaign, financial contributions are very important. They will help the Russell Effort to establish the basics – like telephones, get-acquainted trips throughout the district, brochures, and yard signs.

Money will not be a problem for Murtha. He sells out only to the highest bidders. But Trower Russell is not for sale. Go to opensecrets (click on link & look at 2008 numbers) and see who Murtha has already sold out to in the current campaign.

There’s a famous saying that “freedom isn’t free.” The same is true of a major campaign against a n amoral,, entrenched figure like John Murtha. Any amount of support you can give will be very welcome.

I’m launching an effort that will go on until Dec. 15 to get patriotic Americans to contribute in remembrance of 9/11/2001, when William and his wife Kasia were both in the Pentagon when the hijacked plane struck. Please go to William’s web site and contribute either $9.11 or $20.01.
If you combine the numbers, they add up to $29.12.

If you have the means to do so, please consider supporting the campaign with contributions of $25, $50, $100, or more. The limit for an individual in this phase of the election cycle is $2300. But please remember that a contribution of any size will we welcome.

This campaign isn't going to waste a single dollar. The main effort will be on identifying and recruiting volunteers – perhaps 1,000 of them. I intend to spend several days in the 12th congressional district going door-to-door. I hope you’ll consider joining me.

Thanks for your support of William "Trower" Russell, a superb American.

Stephen R. Maloney
Ambridge, PA

Here are all Wake up America's pieces on John Murtha, his corruption, hs openly slanderous words against our fine military, the court cases against him and much more, all on one page here.

If you are a blogger, consider helping Mr. Russell to replace John Murtha, and put an honest to goodness hero with honesty and integrity into Washington.

.

John Murtha Has a Challenger- William T. Russell

The Wall Street Journal has an excellent article detailing how John Murtha, King of Pork, has used his clout on Capitol Hill to create thousands of jobs and steer billions of dollars in federal spending to help his hometown in western Pennsylvania recover from devastating floods and the flight of its steelmakers.

More is on the way. In the massive 2008 military-spending bill now before Congress -- which could go to a House-Senate conference as soon as Thursday -- Mr. Murtha has steered more taxpayer funds to his congressional district than any other member. The Democratic lawmaker is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, which will oversee more than $459 billion in military spending this year.

Johnstown's good fortune has come at the expense of taxpayers everywhere else. Defense contractors have found that if they open an office here and hire the right lobbyist, they can get lucrative, no-bid contracts. Over the past decade, Concurrent Technologies Corp., a defense-research firm that employs 800 here, got hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to Rep. Murtha despite poor reviews by Pentagon auditors. The National Drug Intelligence Center, with 300 workers, got $509 million, though the White House has tried for years to shut it down as wasteful and unnecessary. Another beneficiary: MTS Technologies, run by a man who got his start some 40 years ago shining shoes at Mr. Murtha's Johnstown Minute Car Wash.

Read the whole thing...

The Weekly Standard provides even more examples of John Murtha's ecessive earmarks and spending for his own political benefit.

We've covered the fact that Murtha has received donations from every interest to which he granted an earmark--many in the last few days before he introduced the earmarks in legislation. He's funneled money to a group headed by a former staffer which supposedly helps wounded veterans find jobs--but there's no evidence that they've helped anyone. He falsely claimed that the Department of Energy supported one of his earmarks. He falsely claimed Department of Justice support for another. He's threatened his colleagues. He's broken House rules to get earmarks.

And all that is merely this year! We have not yet touched upon Haditha, or 'slow-bleed,' or the draft, or AbScam.

Which brings us to the need to replace John Murtha, king of Pork and corruption, with a hat tip to Take Our Country Back, we see reports of a challenger to John Murtha, one we all need to get behind and help him replace Murtha.

Introducing Career Army man, William T. Russell:

After nearly three decades in the military, William T. Russell’s latest mission has brought him to Johnstown.

The career Army man, just two years short of retirement, has left the service and moved to the Flood City in order to mount a political campaign against veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. John Murtha.

As a Republican and first-time candidate facing a powerful congressman in the sprawling, Democrat-dominated 12th Congressional District, Russell faces a tough challenge.

But he is determined to press ahead and will formally announce his candidacy within weeks.

“I recognize this is an uphill battle,” Russell said in an interview last week at The Tribune-Democrat.

“But it’s one that must be fought.”

[...]
Born on an Air Force base in Newfoundland, Canada, Russell’s long Army and Army Reserve career includes duty in the Balkans and in both Iraq wars.

Russell and his wife, Kasia, were in the Pentagon when a hijacked jetliner crashed into the building on Sept. 11, 2001. They escaped unharmed.

While Murtha’s encounters with wounded soldiers have solidified his stance on Iraq, Russell said a similar encounter left him with the opposite impression: To withdraw from Iraq, he argues, would render the sacrifices of those soldiers pointless.

“I think Mr. Murtha is just flat-out wrong,” Russell said.

The Republican also cites, as Irey did, Murtha’s public accusation that U.S. Marines murdered innocent civilians in the Iraq town of Haditha in 2005.

The congressman, Russell contends, is “playing right into the hands of this enemy.”

On his Web site, Russell takes that line of thought a step further and attempts to raise the stakes for next year’s election.

“In this war against Islamic radicalism, the political battle of the 2008 election in the Pennsylvania 12th Congressional District is a critical turning point,” he said.

Russell’s platform is not limited to the Iraq issue.

He seeks to turn a long history of substantial economic clout against Murtha, arguing that the congressman is an “extreme practitioner of cronyism” who has not created long-term, sustainable jobs in this area.

As a small-business owner who operates an ATM company, Russell says he wants to help create a local economy that is more dependent on the free market – while also acknowledging that some jobs may be lost if governmental contracts disappear.

Here is William T Russell's website, please stop by and see how you can help him to replace Haditha Murtha.

A little teaser from his website:

Until August 31st of this year, I was a fulltime Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve, stationed at the Pentagon and a little over 2 years short of full, active duty retirement. I am also a small business owner and entrepreneur, as well as a husband and father.

In my military career I have served six tours in hostile fire zones including Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the Balkans. These tours include almost three years in the Middle East (Iraq and Saudi Arabia) and a year and a half in the Balkans (Hungary, Bosnia, Kosovo, Croatia). My wife, Kasia, who was pregnant with our son at the time, and I were also in the Pentagon on 9/11.

It is time to bring some honest men back into our halls of Congress and replacing Murtha is a wonderful step in the right direction.

Good Luck Mr. Russell and please make sure to let everybody know what we can do to help you replace John Murtha.

.

al-Qaeda Planned the Whole Haditha Massacre

Sometimes you run across something that leaves you just shaking your head in utter bewilderment.

Yesterday we spoke about the NYT trying to excuse themselves from their complicity in convicting our Marines in the eyes of the American public, without even the benefit of an investigation.

John Murtha publicly stated that they killed civilians in Haditha in "cold blood", we asked last night, again, when he would apologize now that the charges have been dropped on the majority of those Marines and the lead investigator has recommended dropping the rest.

Here is the link which explains the recent history of what has been called the Haditha Massacre, the rush to declare our Marines murderers by John Murtha and our mainstream media, the investigations that led to having the charges dropped one by one against the Marines, the men suing John Murtha for defamation, libel and slander, the judges remarks that politicians do not get a free pass for statements made to advance their political careers...its all there....remember that link, because it also provides contact methods from web forms, to phone numbers to driving directions to be able to DEMAND an apology from John Murtha.

If you haven't been prepared to demand that apology before, you will after you see what Defend Our Marines has uncovered and has up as an exclusive.

This is their exclusive, so while I will show a few excerpts, you must click to get the whole, sickening story there.

October 6, 2007 – Buried in the mountain of exhibits attached to the once secret Haditha, Iraq murder inquiry prepared by US Army Maj. Gen. Eldon A. Bargewell is an obscure Marine Corps intelligence summary (see pdf) that says the deadly encounter was an intentional propaganda ploy planned and paid for by Al Qaeda foreign fighters.

[...]

Eleven insurgents involved in the attack are identified by name and affiliation in the details of the summary. All of them were killed or captured in the days immediately following the Haditha incident.

During the November Haditha battle, the insurgents secreted themselves among local civilians to guarantee pursuing Marines would catch innocent civilians in the ensuing crossfire. On January 6, 2006 six insurgents who tried to do the same thing at another location in Haditha were turned in to Coalition authorities before they could mount a similar assault, the report says.

[...]

Our media, the enemy within

The prosecutors in the case against eight Marines charged with murder and cover up at Haditha still maintain the besieged infantrymen acted solely out of malice and poor judgment when they killed 24 Iraqis there. The prosecution’s investigation was launched after a story by Time magazine reporter Tim McGirk on March 6, 2006 accused the Marines of cold blooded murder in retaliation for the death of a brother Marine.

McGirk received his video “evidence” and contacts from two known Iraqi insurgent operatives already under observation by Marine Corps counter intelligence teams. One of the Iraqi witnesses McGirk relied on had just been released from almost six months captivity for insurgent activities and the other witness was considered a useful intelligence tool by Marines listening to him talk on his cell phone. McGirk never interviewed the Marines, who ironically had prepared a similar intelligence summary in anticipation of his canceled visit.

There is much, much more, they show which specific pages in the PDF file where you can find the pertinent information. If this information is accurate then the Marines have been wronged even more than we originally thought.

We have shown you before where al-Qaeda stated, loud and clear that they were going to launch a media campaign to battle us to "To Create A Wedge Between The American People And Their Government.

al-Qaeda statements have shown that they understand the importance of the media and shaping what is shown to the American public, I have wondered if our administration understood exactly how effective that would be.

Osama Bin Laden: Al-Qaeda Intends To Launch "A Media Campaign ... To Create A Wedge Between The American People And Their Government." (Letter From Osama Bin Laden To Mullah Omar, Released By The White House Press Office, 9/5/06)

Bin Laden: This Media Campaign Will Stress "That [The American] Government Would Bring Them More Losses, In Finances And In Casualties."

Bin Laden: The Media Campaign "Aims At Creating Pressure From The American People On The American Government To Stop Their Campaign Against Afghanistan."

We have shown you the AP, NYT and CNN, deliberately bringing you news from stringers,or obtaining videos from terrorists and showing them on television then offering them OnDemand or just spreading enemy propaganda, some of which has proven to be completely false.

Our media either willingly does it (in the case of CNN and NYT, linked above) or they are so incompetent, in this case, they simply did not bother to research and find the declassified information that Defend Our Marines did.

John Murtha, holding a political position like he does and being a former Marine, is even more complicit in spreading these lies and destroying these young Marines lives.

Our media and our politicians were either played by al-Qaeda or they willingly spread al-Qaeda's propaganda...either way, since we have had those al-Qaeda statements for a very long time and every one knew al-Qaeda planned to use our media against us as part of the war they are waging, there is no excuse.

None.

This is what John Murtha said in 2006, before the investigation had even been completed:

Murtha, a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, said at a news conference Wednesday that sources within the military have told him that an internal investigation will show that "there was no firefight, there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

Gateway Pundit reminds us of NYT's complicity in convicting these marines in the media, just as John Murtha did, by showing us 3 previous pieces the NYT published on this subject:

The New York Times
June 4, 2006:

The apparent cold-blooded killing last November of 24 Iraqi civilians by United States marines at Haditha will be hard to dispose of with another Washington damage control operation. The Iraqi government has made clear that it will not sit still for one, and neither should the American people. This affair cannot simply be dismissed as the spontaneous cruelty of a few bad men.

That is only one of the pieces Gateway Pundit shows, go there to see the rest.

Our media, our politicians, our far left liberal bloggers all convicted these men and they all owe them an apology.

It won't make up for the damage that has been done to them, but it is the least that these fine Marines are owed.

[Update, at 21:45 CST]

Incredible, and a definite thank you to spree for covering this ongoing situation with such faith and care.

Is it any wonder that veteran Marines are calling John Murtha the second "ex-Marine?"

The only other "ex-Marine" in history is Lee Harvey Oswald.

Once a Marine, always a Marine...unless you betray the Corps, and John Murtha has definitely betrayed the Corps, in the eyes of this soldier. I'm not going to demand he step down, I'm going to suggest it. I only do so out of RESPECT for the Marines so that THEY can demand that he step down from his office.

Semper Fidelis. That is the motto of the Marine Corps. For those of you who don't know what it means, it means Always Faithful. John Murtha has betrayed the faith to the Corps. I personally leave handling Murtha TO the Marines, and have faith that they will, indeed, deal with him.




Tracked back by:
The Haditha Truth the MSM Buried from Miss Beth's Victory Dance...
Everyone Knew Al Qaida Orchrestrated Haditha But I from Take Our Country Back...




.

Haditha Marines, John Murtha and the New York Times

We asked not long ago, if John Murtha was going to apologize to the Haditha Marines and to the American public for his slanderous, libelous accusations against the Haditha Marines before they even had the benefit of a military trial, we showed a heartfelt letter from L/Cpl Justin Sharratt's father, L/Cpl Sharratt being one of those Marines that Murtha so callously slandered, we also showed our readers when the investigator first recommended dropping the charges against the Haditha Marines..... still no apology from John "the slanderer" Murtha.

Then another Marine was exonerated and still no apology from Murtha.

A Marine is suing John Murtha for defamation and a judge refused to dismiss the case and ordered Murtha to give a sworn deposition and her words were:

"You're writing a very wide road for members of Congress to go to their home districts and say anything they choose about private persons and be able to do so without any liability. Are you sure you want to do that?" Collyer said, adding later, "How far can a congressman go and still be protected?"

Collyer said she was troubled by the idea the lawmakers are immune from lawsuits regardless of what they say to advance their political careers.

Another Marine, Col. Jeffrey Chessani plans on hauling Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman John Murtha, into court, suing him for libel.

The NYT as well as countless other media outlets also owe the Marines and the American public a huge apology.

Today, as Gateway Pundit so succinctly puts it, The NYT is mourning the loss of what they call Iraq's "defining atrocity".

NYT:

BAGHDAD, Oct. 5 — Last year, when accounts of the killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha by a group of marines came to light, it seemed that the Iraq war had produced its defining atrocity, just as the conflict in Vietnam had spawned the My Lai massacre a generation ago.

But on Thursday, a senior military investigator recommended dropping murder charges against the ranking enlisted marine accused in the 2005 killings, just as he had done earlier in the cases of two other marines charged in the case. The recommendation may well have ended prosecutors’ chances of winning any murder convictions in the killings of the apparently unarmed men, women and children.

My personal favorite part of the NYT atrocious piece today is seem to be whining about Lt. Col. Paul J. Ware, who presided over the hearings and concluded that all three cases lacked sufficient evidence.

In the end, in Colonel Ware’s view, expressed in dozens of pages of analysis and opinion in his reports on all three cases, the Haditha prosecutors failed to amass enough evidence to win a conviction.

In his latest report, in which he recommended dismissing 10 murder charges against Sergeant Wuterich and reducing seven others to negligent homicide, Colonel Ware wrote that the evidence presented to him “is simply not strong enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.”

He made similar conclusions in his reports on the cases against two other infantrymen for whom he urged the dismissal of all charges: Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, whose murder charges were subsequently thrown out by the commanding general overseeing the case, and Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, who is still waiting to hear the general’s decision. Commanders usually follow investigators’ recommendations.

“When you have an investigating officer like Ware, who says ‘don’t go there if you can’t prove,’” your case, Mr. Solis said, “we’re left with what appear to be very reduced charges.” He added: “He’s aggressive, and he seems to make his judgments without regard for anything but the law. He must know that people — civilians, primarily — are going to howl about this, but that doesn’t seem to be a concern.”

So, what? Was Ware supposed to ignore the law and be more concerned about people "howling"?

Gateway Pundit reminds us of NYT's complicity in convicting these marines in the media, just as John Murtha did, by showing us 3 previous pieces the NYT published on this subject:

The New York Times
June 4, 2006:

The apparent cold-blooded killing last November of 24 Iraqi civilians by United States marines at Haditha will be hard to dispose of with another Washington damage control operation. The Iraqi government has made clear that it will not sit still for one, and neither should the American people. This affair cannot simply be dismissed as the spontaneous cruelty of a few bad men.

This is the nightmare that everyone worried about when the Iraq invasion took place. Critics of the war predicted that American troops would become an occupying force, unable to distinguish between innocent civilians and murderous insurgents, propelled down the same path that led the British to disaster in Northern Ireland and American troops to grief in Vietnam.

That is only one of the pieces Gateway Pundit shows, go there to see the rest.

Democracy Project thinks the NYT just excused itself, or tried to.

The other day I said that I didn’t expect to hear any apologies from the major media for their trial by press error, and the New York Times’ latest excuse for itself, a poor excuse for a self-purported newspaper of record, is decidedly not an apology but a cop-out, which only convicts itself.

Every excuse that the New York Times raises for not obtaining the lynching it desired is directly refuted by facts. I’m so disgusted that I don’t even feel like documenting them all now. For those interested, please visit the extensive writings I’ve posted over the past 1+ years: The real evidence and circumstances are all there: Iraqis who all knew of the planned attack on the Marines; Contradictory stories from Iraqis; Iraq customs do allow autopsies; Multiple contradictions by immune witnesses; Forensics that did not support a massacre; etc.

The NYT needs to stop creating excuses and apologize. More importantly though, John Murtha needs to apologize and the last time he was confronted about it, he still refused to issue that apology.

NOW he wants to wait for all the facts...well where was that line of thought when you were condemning those Marines Mr. Murtha?

From a previous post:

Yesterday Hot Air provided a video of John Murtha being confronted on the issue where he STILL is refusing to issue an apology.

Murtha was quick enough to publicly slander these Marines and yet when evidence shows that he was wrong, he is eerily quiet and still no apology.

At this point, an apology isn't good enough.

Murtha should not be holding a political position at all.

John Murtha needs to step down.

As Back Talk says:

Except, of course, in the minds of John Murtha and many other Democrats who unquestionably support the troops. To them, the mere charge was sufficient to convict our soldiers of having committed cold-blooded murder.

Black Five points out:

Do you see the missing factor he completely neglects to mention? Maybe no crimes were freaking committed. Huh? Maybe that is what hampered the effort to win murder convictions, and note the use of the word "win" not obtain. I am unable to read this as anything other than a requiem for the "defining atrocity that should have been".

This writer did a decent job of chronicling the case against MSG Anderson and CPT Staffel so it is a bit surprising to see such a nakedly biased bit like this. It is plenty fair to look at the difficulties faced in gathering evidence to try and prosecute these men. It is low and shameful to fail to note that all charges were dropped against 5 of the 6 and maybe, just maybe that was because they were innocent. I know, I know that's crazy talk.

The charges have been dropped against 5 of the 6..... with that said, now lets look at John Murtha" s original slanderous statements made to the press on may 2006 , before the investigations had even been completed:

On Wednesday, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said the accounts are true.

[...]

Murtha, a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, said at a news conference Wednesday that sources within the military have told him that an internal investigation will show that "there was no firefight, there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

[...]

The Marine Corps issued a statement in response to Murtha's remarks:

"There is an ongoing investigation; therefore, any comment at this time would be inappropriate and could undermine the investigatory and possible legal process. As soon as the facts are known and decisions on future actions are made, we will make that information available to the public to the fullest extent allowable."

Murtha held the news conference to mark six months since his initial call for "redeployment" of U.S. forces from Iraq.

He said U.S. forces were under undue pressure in Iraq because of poor planning and allocation of resources by the Bush administration.

Disgusting, pathetic excuse for a human being. I hope they sue him for every cent he has and the public should DEMAND he step down, he doesn't deserve to hold any political position.

[Update]

For those that agree that John Murtha owes this Marine and the others a huge apology for making statements about their guilt without a benefit of a trial and having now found out that all charges have been dropped, below I am listing the ways for you to contact him.


Via the Web:

His Web Contact Form.

Call him:

800-289-2642 from Western PA (or) 814-535-2642 (or) 202-225-2065


Fax him:

814-539-6229 -- District
202-225-5709 -- Washington

Write him or Visit him:

647 Main St, Suite 401
Johnstown, PA 15901

For those that want to visit him, here are some directions, right from his website.

Directions to Congressman Murtha's Main District Office

People sometimes need or want to find our main office in Johnstown for various reasons. We can't offer directions from every community in this sprawling new 12th District, but these should be sufficient for most people to find their way.

From Uniontown, the fastest route is:

• Take US-119 North.
• Turn Right onto PA-31 East.
• Turn Left onto PA-711 at Donegal and proceed through Ligonier.
• Turn Right onto PA-271 about five miles north of Ligonier.
• Remain on PA-271 into the City of Johnstown -- the Route becomes Menoher Boulevard, makes a right turn onto Haynes Street at a traffic signal, passes through 3 traffic signals and turns left at the 5th traffic signal onto Bedford Street.
• Proceed one block on Bedford Street and turn Right onto Main Street
• 647 Main Street is called the Feeder Canal Building and on the left immediately past the railroad tracks. Parking is available on Feeder Street across from the building.
• Estimated Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes; Total Distance: 67 miles.

From Washington , PA , the fastest route is:

• Take I-70 E toward New Stanton .
• Take Exit-9 at Donegal.
• Turn Left onto PA-31 east for a very short distance.
• Turn Left onto PA-711 North, and follow 711 through Ligonier.
• Turn Right onto PA-271 about five miles north of Ligonier.
• Remain on PA-271 into the City of Johnstown -- the Route becomes Menoher Boulevard, makes a right turn onto Haynes Street at a traffic signal, passes through 3 traffic signals and turns left at the 5th traffic signal onto Bedford Street.
• Proceed one block on Bedford Street and turn Right onto Main Street
• 647 Main Street is called the Feeder Canal Building and on the left immediately past the railroad tracks. Parking is available on Feeder Street across from the building.
• Estimated Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes; Total Distance: 90 miles.

From the New Kensington area, the fastest route is:

• Take PA-366 East.
• Turn Right onto PA-66.
• Merge onto US-22 East toward Blairsville.
• Turn Right on PA-56 East.
• After entering the City of Johnstown , remain on Route 56 through several turns and a series of traffic signals on Broad Street , which is both PA-56 and PA-403.
• The road turns right and follows the Conemaugh River under a railroad overpass.
• Turn Left at the next traffic signal onto Washington Street .
• Turn Right at the fourth traffic signal onto PA-271/Clinton Street .
• Turn Left at the second traffic signal onto Main Street .
• 647 Main Street is called the Feeder Canal Building and on the left immediately past the railroad tracks. Parking is available on Feeder Street across from the building.
• Estimated Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes; Total Distance: 60 miles.

From most places in Cambria or Somerset Counties , the fastest route is:

• Take Route 219 North or South toward Johnstown .
• Merge onto Route 56 West/Johnstown Expressway.
• Take the first Downtown Johnstown exit -- Bedford Street .
• Turn Right at the end of the exit ramp onto Adams Street .
• Proceed one block and turn Left at the stop sign onto Main Street
• 647 Main Street is called the Feeder Canal Building and on the right immediately past Feeder Street (just before the railroad tracks). Parking is available on Feeder Street across from the building.

What is everyone waiting for, lets tell John Murtha exactly how we feel, shall we?







.

Haditha Marines: Judge Orders John Murtha to testify in defamation case

When John Murtha set off a firestorm by publicly convicting the Haditha Marines before they had even been tried, he was starting a chain of events that are continuing to snowball and one of those Marines, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, is suing him for defamation.

Another Marine, Col. Jeffrey Chessani plans on hauling Murtha into court also for libel.

The Justice Department tried to get the case dismissed, but his public accusations against the Haditha Marines are well documented and the Judge refused to dismiss the case and has ordered the Pennsylvania Democrat, John Murtha to give a sworn deposition.

A Marine Corps sergeant is suing the 16-term congressman for alleging "cold-blooded murder and war crimes" by unnamed soldiers in connection with the deaths of Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha.

The deaths became known in May 2006 when Murtha, who opposes the Iraq war, said at a Capitol Hill news conference that a Pentagon war crimes investigation will show Marines killed dozens of innocent Iraqi civilians in the town in 2005.

Murtha's office declined to comment on the ruling. He has said his intention was to draw attention to the pressure put on troops in Iraq and to cover-up the incident.

The Justice Department wanted the case dismissed because Murtha was acting in his official role as a lawmaker. Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Henault said the comments were made as part of the debate over the war in Iraq.

U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer said the congressman might be right, but said she won't know for sure unless Murtha explains himself. She did not set a date for Murtha's testimony but said she would also require him to turn over documents related to his comments.

"You're writing a very wide road for members of Congress to go to their home districts and say anything they choose about private persons and be able to do so without any liability. Are you sure you want to do that?" Collyer said, adding later, "How far can a congressman go and still be protected?"

Collyer said she was troubled by the idea the lawmakers are immune from lawsuits regardless of what they say to advance their political careers.

Background:

First we showed a letter written to John Murtha from L/Cpl Justin Sharratt's father, a heartfelt letter about Murtha's reprehensible conduct regarding those Marines.

After we found out that all charges had been dropped against L/Cpl Justin Sharratt, we asked if Murtha was going to apologize and we provided detailed information, webform contact to John Murtha, phone numbers, his office location and directions on how to get to his offices, for those of you that wanted to see him apologize to have your voices heard.

Then we saw the Haditha investigators recommending that all charges be dropped for the Haditha Marines.

Murtha's words before the Marines had been tried:

On Wednesday, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said the accounts are true.

[...]

Murtha, a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, said at a news conference Wednesday that sources within the military have told him that an internal investigation will show that "there was no firefight, there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

[...]

The Marine Corps issued a statement in response to Murtha's remarks:

"There is an ongoing investigation; therefore, any comment at this time would be inappropriate and could undermine the investigatory and possible legal process. As soon as the facts are known and decisions on future actions are made, we will make that information available to the public to the fullest extent allowable."

Murtha held the news conference to mark six months since his initial call for "redeployment" of U.S. forces from Iraq.

He said U.S. forces were under undue pressure in Iraq because of poor planning and allocation of resources by the Bush administration.

Murtha deserves to be publicly humiliated for those accusations against Marines without the benefit of a full investigation or trial and I am glad the judge has ordered this deposition.

Previously:
Letter to Murtha from Marine's Dad.
Is John Murtha Going to Apologize to the Haditha Marines Now?: UPDATED.
Haditha Investigator:Drop Marine murder case.
Haditha Marine, Col. Jeffrey Chessani to Sue John Murtha.
Another Haditha Marine Exonerated-Still No Apology From Murtha.


Others discussing this: (via memeorandum)
Hot Air and Right Voices.



.