C'mon Jack, we know you can try harder than that...

It appears that Congressman Murtha (D-Al Qaeda) has only made it to the number five spot in CREW's Top Ten Most Corrupt list this year.

5. Rep. Murtha's abuse of the earmarking process remains unchecked: Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) has drawn scrutiny for channeling millions of federal dollars, much of it in defense contracts, to his (formerly) hard-luck district.

Gotta try harder, Jack. We at Murtha Must Go! know you can do it!

Jack Murtha Admits Defeat.

Despite his best efforts at thwarting our troops' efforts, despite his ongoing attempts to kill their morale, even to the point of accusing them of cold-blooded murder, Congressman Jack Murtha finally came to admit defeat, stating the other day that the surge is working, and that our troops are winning.

Well, Congressman Murtha, now that you've finally capitulated after a long, drawn out battle to secure defeat for America and its troops in harm's way, do you plan a trip to the Missourri to sign the terms of surrender with our Marine Corps?

Flip-Flopping Jack gets called on the carpet..

From the Russell Campaign:

MURTHA’S DOUBLE TALK CANT HIDE HIS FLIP - FLOP - FLIP ON THE WAR

Johnstown, PA – November 30, 2007: William Russell the Republican for Congress had this to say after Murtha’s trip debrief news conference.

"Thank you John Murtha for admitting the surge under the leadership of General Petraeus is working."

"I agree, the American people are impatient with the central government and as Mr. Murtha stated, it close to dysfunctional. But enough about the Pelosi - Murtha led Congress.

The Central government in Iraq is taking charge with leaders who have been braving large scale assassination attempts, threats to their families, and an infrastructure ravaged and neglected by Saddam's regime and sabotage by Islamic Radicals. They are rebuilding an army and police forces, getting control of foreign national criminals in their presence, and have actually passed major reforms. Can the same be said of our Democratic majority in the House?"

"The $14 Billion per month that Murtha says is taking its toll on training and equipping our military here at home is not the issue. It is the political games that Murtha and Obey are playing with military budgets that is causing the Department of Defense to short change training and equipping functions in order to ensure the success of the surge and support our Soldiers on the front lines. "

"Murtha wonders why the next rotation of troops is not ready to back fill those currently deployed while he holds up the funding necessary to equip and train them."

"When Murtha cites the Abu Ghraib photos as being the best recruiting tool for Al-Qaida, he is too modest. He has completely forgotten about his endorsement of Al-Qaida's recruiting efforts by publicly accusing United States Marines of cold-blooded murder of Iraqi civilians. Murtha gave the United States Congress's stamp of approval to the enemy's propaganda and placed American service men and women in greater danger of attack by giving credence to the enemy's message on the Arab street.

"We are eagerly awaiting Murtha's apology to the exonerated Haditha Marines for placing them in greater danger, ruining their careers, and undermining their comrades."

"I agree that we should step up our diplomatic and political efforts to help the Iraqi's establish political and economic control. Thanks to the security provided by the surge, the Iraqi civil entities are gaining control. If we had followed the advice and position of Murtha and his Democratic colleagues, we would not have the opportunities we currently have.

"Rather than pit domestic political and economic policies against our military and political objectives in the war against Islamic Radicalism, why don't we focus on synchronizing those policies so we can keep our troops safer and bring them home from a peaceful theater? Mr. Murtha has proven time and again that he will not support our Soldiers in the fight. I stand ready to support them and help achieve victory and security for our future"

"It's no wonder John Murtha wants to try to distract 12th District voters from his record. But no matter how much rhetoric and double talk he puts out, it won't change the fact that the only person in this race who's flip-flopped on important issues after receiving massive campaign donations is John Murtha."

####

Larry Stiles, USMC-Vietnam Veteran
Campaign Manager
William Russell for Congress
P.O. Box 630
Johnstown, PA 15907
http://williamrussellforcongress.com
Phone: 814.243.8662

Please volunteer for William Russell for Congress at http://williamrussellforcongress.com.

Steve Maloney
Ambridge, PA

Whatcha gonna do now, fatboy?

Looks like yet another Haditha Marine will soon be found innocent (all emphases mine):

(U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Jeffrey) Chessani was charged for dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order. Specifically, prosecutors accuse him of failure to report or investigate the killings of Iraqi civilians, which would be a violation of war by Marines under his command. He faces up to 30 months in prison and dishonorable discharge from the Marines, if convicted.

In a sworn statement in August 2006, Chessani said the killing of civilians was unfortunate but he did not consider the shooting incident to be out of the ordinary or beyond routine combat.

It is a military order that commanders report to their superiors any time their subordinates violate the laws of war.

Chessani reported the incident on the day it happened, but prosecutors claim he did not report it to officials high enough in the chain of command, Rooney said. Further, it happened during combat and thus was not a violation of war, said Rooney.

[SNIP]

"A U.S. Army colonel and an Army general conducted two separate investigations and came to the same conclusion: There was no 'massacre' and no 'cover-up,'" said the law center's president, Richard Thompson, in a statement.

"Yet the government still pursued a multi-million dollar investigation in order to appease an anti-war politician and the blame-America-first media. Now we have the absurd situation of Lt. Col. Chessani being charged with failing to report and investigate a crime that never occurred," Thompson added.

The "anti-war politician" referred to by Thompson is Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.), a retired Marine colonel who became a vocal critic of the Iraq war in 2005.

In May 2006, Murtha said at a Capitol Hill press conference: "There was no firefight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Defense, Murtha wields power over defense spending and that power potentially could influence the investigation and case against Ware, according to the law center.

In addition to Murtha, the law center's legal motions name other officials who supposedly biased the case, including Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) who, in 2006, was chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and vowed to hold hearings on the matter; Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who compared Haditha to the My Lai massacre of Vietnam; and U.S. Navy Secretary Donald Winter, who also made comments that potentially could pre-judge the case, said Rooney.

"They all showed a bias that these men were guilty before an investigation was complete," Rooney told Cybercast News Service .

"It's frustrating to me, as a former Marine, that a lot of reporters, media types, and politicians have the worldview from the 1960s that never changed. They wanted to make this the new My Lai because they have tried from the beginning to make this the new Vietnam," he said.

And so it goes. As has been shown time and time again on this blog, Murtha opened his fat piehole and sold fellow Marines down the river so as to endear himself to those who he thought would give him a ticket to the Majority Leader gig in the U.S. House.

And now the chickens have come home to roost.

Will Murtha now apologize, or will he continue to cut and run from his responsibility in the matter?

A spokesman from Murtha's office could not be reached for comment on this story, nor could a spokesman from Warner's office.

What a freakin' surprise.

NOT!

BLOGGERS FOR WILLIAM RUSSELL GROWING!

As the previous post on MurthaMustGo indicates, the US is WINNING THE WAR IN IRAQ. That has put anti-military Democrats like Murtha, Obey, Reid, and Pelosi in a panic. Might we expect Jack Murtha to admit soon that he was "for the war before he was against it before he was for it again?"

The election is far away (11 months) and Johnstown, PA is entering its usual long, cold winter, but the Russell Campaign is heating up. Today I put the following on one of my sites in an effort to continue our great momentum:

LATER TODAY (TUESDAY), I'LL BE LAUNCHING A RENEWED "BLOGGERS 4 RUSSELL" EFFORT. AS YOU SEE ON MY BLOGROLL SIDEBAR, THERE ARE ALREADY ABOUT 35 BLOGGERS 4 RUSSELL LISTED -- PEOPLE WHO STRONGLY SUPPORT AND WRITE ABOUT LT. COL. RUSSELL. MY PERSONAL GOAL BY NEXT SPRING IS TO HAVE 300 BLOGGERS 4 RUSSELL , REPRESENTING EVERY STATE IN THE UNION. I ASK EVERY BLOGGER 4 RUSSELL TO CONSIDER AT LEAST A SMALL FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO GIVE THIS CAMPAIGN A FOUNDATION FOR VICTORY.

YOU CAN BECOME A BLOGGER 4 RUSSELL BY LEAVING A COMMENT ON MY SITE, OR BY E-MAILING ME AT: TALKTOP65@AOL.COM. THANKS!

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BLOG (YET), YOU CAN JOIN THE GROUP BY SENDING YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS. (I have another column today on my SmartPolitics101 about making sure the Russell Campaign is financially strong. I urge you to visit.

(Here's an excerpt from today's column in SmartPolitics101):

(In short, Murtha gives lobbyists and companies your tax money -- and they give him a chunk back as a "contribution." William Russell, an honest man, won't be doing any of that. Lt. Col. Russell is not some rich guy. He's an Army brat who served his entire adult life as a soldier -- in unfriendly venues like Desert Storm, the Balkans, Iraqi Freedom , and the Pentagon on 9/11.)

MurthaMustGo contributors and visitors are the political "special forces," and it's up to us to send Murtha into "early retirement." It will take a country-wide effort to do so, but if we each do our part, "the long national nightmare" in the 12th Congressional District will come to an abrupt end on Election Day, 2008. Thanks for your help.

Jack Murtha: Moving the Goal Posts?

Things have inarguably been going much better in Iraq since the advent of the surge, and the efforts of our troops have been bearing fruit. But when the victory of his fellow Marines means a political shellacking for Jack Murtha, does he celebrate their successes?

Hell no.

He just moves the goal posts.

Pretty pathetic, no?

COMMENTS FROM JACK MURTHA, BULLY & THUG

Just to let you know exactly what kind of a thug Jack Murtha is, I'm reprinting this from my other blog, on which I write regularly about politics in the 12th congressional district of PA.

NASTY COMMENTS FROM THE BULLY: JACK MURTHA

NOTE: I'VE BEEN GETTING SOME NASTY COMMENTS (ANONYMOUS OF COURSE) THAT MAKE FALSE STATEMENTS ABOUT LT. COL. WILLIAM TROWER RUSSELL AND HIS FAMILY. MY SOFTWARE SHOWS THEY COME FROM THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SERVER. FRANKLY, IF CONGRESSMAN MURTHA OR ANY OF HIS MINIONS WANT TO MAKE COMMENTS, THEY CAN DO SO AS LONG AS THEY IDENTIFY THEMSELVES. OTHERWISE THEY WILL BE DELETED. JOHN MURTHA IS A COWARD AND A BULLY, AND IF HE THINKS HE CAN INTIMIDATE EITHER ME OR WILLIAM RUSSELL, HE'S EVEN STUPIDER THAN WE THOUGHT.

Murtha's Culture of Dependence, Surrender

MURTHA HAS BLOOD ON HIS HANDS, AND HE NEEDS TO ANSWER FOR THAT.IN THE 12TH DISTRICT MURTHA HAS HELPED CREATE A CULTURE OF DEPENDENCE. AMONG SOME DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS, HE HAS HELPED CREATE A CULTURE OF SURRENDER. BOTH THESE CONDITIONS MUST END.

Stephen R. MaloneyAmbridge, PA

Note: You may contribute to or volunteer for the Russell Crusade by going to http://williamrussellforcongress.com/. Another site you will want to see is: http://murthamustgo.blogospot.com/. When you go to the latter, scroll down to see the comments by USMC hero Justin Sharratt, whom Murtha falsely accused of murder. You can contribute to Russell by going to directly to this link.

A Moment to Remember

A Moment to Rember

I thought I was there to support the Congressional campaign of William Trower Russell. I now know it is much more. When I stepped out of the warm RV into the cold Shanksville, Pa morning I was greeted by a friendly voice. A local resident, with a flashlight, was there to give me a tour of his sacred ground. He walked me into the cold, dark November morning to the edge of a cornfield. Shining his light into the distance I could only imagine the charred, mangled wreckage of Flight 93. He shared with me his recollections of that fateful day in September, 2001. He described the carnage visited upon an unprepared America

The resident, whose name now eludes me, sat me down on a bench inscribed with the name of Todd Beamer. He doesn’t want the government to erect a cold, inanimate monument on this site. The American people have already immortalized this sacred site. With the light of the flashlight leading the way he walked me down a make shift wall. A wall lined with the offerings of a caring America. The hats, license plates, t-shirts and messages from a caring nation. We only touched the thousands of trinkets left by the visitors. Trying not to disturb their final resting place.

As dawn broke, our group gathered for prayer. I cried, many of us cried. Most of my tears were for the brave souls who perished on Flight 93. Some, I think were for the living. I embraced William Russell and thanked him for his service to our country. The reality of the moment finally struck me. Our nation has become complacent since 9/11. Our politicians do not see a need for secured borders, a strong military and a victory in Iraq. This man, William Trower Russell, sees the need, he knows the need.

The days ahead will be long and hard. William Russell needs your vote, he needs your support. I have gotten to know this man. In the next year you will come to know this man. He is what America needs. Embrace his message, join his election campaign. William Trower Russell, make him your Congressman from the 12^th Congressional District.

http://www.williamrussellforcongress.com/

Sincerely,

Darryl R Sharratt

Political Guerilla Warfare: Sending Murtha on His Way

Here’s a major mystery for you.

In my own Pennsylvania congressional district (the 4th, west and north of Pittsburgh), the number of votes cast in 2006 were just over 230,000. However, in the 12th District (south and west of Pittsburgh) – the one represented by John Murtha – there were only 200,000 votes.

What happened to the other 30,000 votes in the 12th? After all, every congressional district has about the same number of people (just under 700,000). So why are there dramatically fewer votes in the 12th?

There are several related reasons. One is that there more unregistered adults in the 4th. Another is that many people there don’t exercise their right to vote.Why don’t they? In their heart of hearts, many residents don’t believe their votes really count.

Sadly, they’re more right than wrong.In John Murtha’s own Johnstown and surrounding Cambria County. Generally, the only people – with rare exceptions – who get elected to office are Democrats. In most cases, Democrat officeholders run either unopposed or with token opposition.

In Murtha’s case, he’s “served” the people of the 12th District for 35 years. He almost never has anything like serious opposition. A partial exception was in 2006 when Diana Lynn Irey ran an intense campaign against Murtha, getting nearly 80,000 votes. Murtha got roughly 120,000 votes.

In many ways, Diana, my dear friend and political ally, out-campaigned Murtha. For example, she got a total of 7,000 contributions that came from every state in the Union. In contrast, Murtha got 6,500 contributions, although his average donations were much larger than Diana’s.

So, how on earth can William Trower Russell compete with Murtha? One way is to focus on all those unregistered (or registered but non-voting) people in the 12th.In my previous column,

Earlier, I've mentioned “Mel” (Melanie), an unregistered voter who favors Trower Russell. There are tens of thousands of people like her in the 12th. Trower and his supporters need to get them identified, registered, and committed to his campaign.

People like Melanie recognize that much of what Murtha has supposedly “done” for Johnstown and the 12th consists of government handouts. When Murtha is gone, the annual handouts will go with him.In short, he has done nothing to help ensure that communities get permanent, sustainable jobs. What he’s “accomplished” is to hand out hundreds of millions in taxpayer money to companies that pay him off with lavish campaign donations.

(Read the Seattle Times "favor factory" story on how Murtha trades your tax dollars for campaign contributions.)

What he does is legal, but of course it's highly immoral.William Russell differs from Murtha in that he wants to bring REAL jobs to the 12th District – not government-financed, make work jobs. Frankly, most companies – the ones that provide lifetime employment – want nothing to do with a district represented by a corrupt, bullying tax-and-spend liberal like Murtha.

In my chat with Melanie last week, I said, “You know that eventually all those ‘jobs’ Murtha created are going to dry up?” Melanie, a wise young woman, said: “Bingo. You got that right.”If William and his supporters – of whom I’m certainly one – establish a strong, continuing voter registration program, it will be possible to eliminate a significant portion of Murtha’s lead.

In short, voter registration is a key. The Russell campaign can do so by telling potential voters this: “It’s true that in the past your vote didn’t count. But there’s a ‘new Sheriff in town,’ and this time your vote is going to make a real difference."

Every weekend between now and the election, Trower and his supporters must be out registering -- and energizing -- potential supporters. There will have to be some handholding that might involve taking people to registration centers through the 12th.

In general, every new voter added with bring along at least one more voter -- sometimes a spouse, sometimes a friend from work or school, and sometimes a neighbor. Register 10,000 new votes and, almost magically, the "synergy" results in about 20,000 votes

A few thousand votes here -- and a few thousand votes there -- and William Trower Russell and all those who believe in safeguarding American security can perform a victory dance next November 5, 2008.

Please consider contributing to Trower Russell's effort. You can do so by visiting his site. Please consider doing so.

Help Trower Russell Beat Murtha -- Now!

"You gotta shake everybody's hand." (John Congemi, former Univ. of Pittsburgh football star)

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

Marine Corps Birthday Ball

I will start my entry onto this blog with a totally humbling experience. My wife, son and I attended the 232nd Marine Corps Birthday Ball this past Saturday. We met past, present and a future Marine at the Ball. It was a memorable occasion. The support shown to us by the attendees was enormous.

My son, Justin and another Iraq veteran seemed to be the center of attention. It is this "other" Marine I would like to speak about. Anthony is a Marine Sgt who served with 3/25 in a deployment to Haditha. His unit served in theater prior to the arrival of Justin's unit 3/1 in September, 2005. Anthony was injured in an IED blast and was transported back to the states. In the months after his injuries, Anthony has undergone 19 surgeries to repair his lower torso. He cannot go through airport metal detectors without setting off the scanners due to the remaining shrapnel in his body. Anthony went through months of rehabilitation and is able to move around without the help of exterior devices. He still has multiple surgies ahead of him to remove the remaining shrapel and to replace a disk in his back. Through all the pain and suffering he had to endure, he still had that look in his eyes and a determination chiseled on his face. Anthony is a proud Marine, he is an American hero. In our hour long conversation he showed no signs of bitterness, just a strong will to serve his country and defend our freedoms. These words will remain with me forever- The only thing he regrets is he will no longer be able to join his Marine comrades in their next deployment.

Sincerely,
Darryl R Sharratt

Veterans Votes Disappearing?

From Gathering of Eagles:

Veterans’ Votes Disappear

Last Tuesday, 6 November, 2007, was Election Day here in Philadelphia. On an
average Election Day there are between 100 and 150 absentee ballots
from active duty service members. This election there were 8. Maybe
only 8 men and women voted. Maybe this is much ado about nothing, but it does seem suspicious. Special Forces officer David Oh was on the ballot for a City Council At-Large seat. It is a close election. Votes are still being tallied. Currently only about a dozen votes separate him and his challenger.


We are actively soliciting anyone from Philadelphia, PA who has a relative serving overseas. If any of them voted we would like to know. Please contact us with their names so we can check them against the list of absentee ballots. If service men or women were denied their right to vote, while actively helping to preserve democracy, we will not stand idly by. Put out the word. Email your lists and call your
friends. It is time for us, the Gathering of Eagles, to say we will not allow any ill treatment to befall our brave men and women in uniform. It is time for us to say, this is our line in the sand. This far, and no farther. Manchu.


Chris Hill

A Veteran's Day Message from Lt. Col. Russell

This guy's a world away from John Murtha...

He's actually got morals...

Vietnam Veterans: Turning the Tide in the War Against Islamic Radicalism.



They come wearing motorcycle leather and business suits. They sport crew cuts and ponytails, some wearing long un-trimmed beards, others clean shaven. They park their Harley’s, Gold Wings, and three wheelers in rows flying the Stars and Strips and the black POW/MIA flags. Many bear scars and tattoos commemorating their service in Vietnam.



They often come to stand guard over the memorial bearing the names of their comrades who fell during the long years of their generation’s war to prevent the anti-war protesters of today’s struggle from defacing it, again.



Upon meeting veterans of the current war against Radical Islam, many of whom are young enough to be their grandsons, they wrap them in bear hugs and say “Welcome Home, Brother.”



They are now the older brothers of our Brotherhood of Arms. These are the men who so many of my generation looked up to as the heroes who were betrayed. They fought an unpopular and ugly war that did have a purpose in the world wide struggle against communism, against an enemy who remained faceless in the jungles of a far off land. But that purpose is so often hidden or disregarded in the movies, history books, and writings since. They bear the unseen scars of coming home from their war only to be welcomed in San Francisco and New York and many college campuses with protests and taunts of “Baby Killer!” and “Murderer.” The anger of having one of the most famous starlets of their generation go to the home of the enemy they were fighting and provide aid and encouragement to that enemy runs deep. The hurt of having one who stood among their ranks for a short period of time, sit before the Congressional Committees and lie about atrocities they did not commit, be rewarded with election to the United States Congress and Senate and a run for the highest office of this land, runs deeper.



The fruits of their spilled blood, lost brethren, and military victories against the communists in the TET Offensive of 1968 (when they effectively destroyed the Viet Cong), the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) led Offensive in 1972 (when they destroyed the offensive capability of the NVA) were lost to the political defeats here at home which led to the fall of Saigon in 1975. The anti-war movement, combined with the fall out of the Watergate scandal led to the election of a strong anti-war Democratic majority in the House and Senate in 1974. Those majorities cut off all funding to the South Vietnamese government and prevented any reinforcement by American forces. The results were the footage of American Marines pushing back the last hopeful refugees atop the US Embassy building in Saigon as the last helicopter headed out to sea, the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese in “re-education camps,” the flotillas of millions of “boat people,” and the murder of millions more in the killing fields of Cambodia.



But once again, the real heroes of that generation are stepping up and are looking out for their little Brothers and Sisters who are fighting in a far off land. They know this enemy here at home and they are watching the backs of their younger siblings. They are not allowing this anti-war movement to go unanswered. They are stepping up to speak the truth about the self described “heroes” of their generation, and prevented one from becoming President. They are standing on street corners near Walter Reed, in West Chester, PA and Berkley, CA to counter Code Pink and other anti-war protesters. They form the core of groups like the Patriot Guard Riders, who ride in processions to welcome home the fallen and protect their families from the most despicable of anti-war protesters who show up at the funerals. The Free Republic “Freepers” stand vigil outside Walter Reed to cheer our Wounded Warriors on Friday nights to let them know the Code Pink protesters across the street do not speak for the people of this nation. The Gathering of Eagles organizes pro-troop counter protests to the anti-war protesters and stand toe to toe with them. Then there are the motorcycle clubs like the Rolling Thunder and the Nam Knights who stand vigil over the memorials to prevent further defacement and insults to their fallen brothers and sisters. And there are the USO volunteers who greet service men and women returning from overseas at airports across the country to let them know they are appreciated.



Their war was lost to the betrayal of so-called peaceniks, who by design or default, played into the hands of the enemy and gave away victory. They will not allow the terrible results of such a betrayal to be visited on their younger Brothers and Sisters. So they come and they stand for them on the National Mall with Gold Star Parents and Spouses among their ranks, where our Soldiers in uniform cannot show up to face down the anarchists, socialists, and misguided angels of the “peace” movement. They welcome us home with cheers, hugs, goody-bags, and tears at Atlanta, Dallas, San Francisco, and Baltimore and so many other airports. They send letters and care packages to our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen at sea and in hostile theaters. They fly the Stars and Stripes proudly and will not stand by idly to watch it burned. Finally, they pray for victory and safe return of the new generations of Warriors. The Veterans of Vietnam are ensuring the safety our nation and its soldiers in the current fight by not allowing this war to be lost at home. As the current generation fights to protect our nation from physical attack, the Vietnam Veterans are engaged in the struggle for our nation’s heart and soul, and they are turning the tide.



Just as my older Brothers in Arms welcomed me and so many of my Brothers and Sisters of my generation home, I want to say to them as individuals and as a group: “Thank you for being home, Brother, and watching over me.”



William T Russell



William Russell is a veteran of the Operation Iraqi Freedom, Desert Storm, and the Pentagon on 9/11. He recently left Active Duty with the Army to run against John Murtha in Pennsylvania. www.williamrussellforcongress.com.

JOHN MURTHA IS BEATABLE: HERE'S HOW

For reasons known mainly to themselves, many voters in the 12th congressional district of PA have a sentimental attachment to John Murtha. Of course, many well-heeled lobbyists have an attachment to Murtha that has nothing to do with sentiment -- and everything to do with money. Of course, as one group after another -- conservative, moderate, and liberal -- has pointed out, Murtha is to political corruption as a pig farm is to bad odors.

Murtha, like every congressman on the take, prefers to run unopposed, which is the usual situation in his district. In 2006, my courageous friend and political ally, Diana Lynn Irey, ran an excellent campaign against "The Prince of Pork." By getting nearly 80,000 votes, Diana heroically established the foundation for a future victory.

Well, the future is now -- and the candidate who can beat Murtha is Lt. Col. William "Trower" Russell. If he's not well-known to you now, he will be soon. Go to his web site at: http://williamrussellforcongress.com.

Of course, one way to beat a political opponent is to outspend him. That won't happen this time. When Murtha puts his votes up for sale, they don't go to the lowest bidder. In his last campaign, he raised nearly $3 million -- and spent about $3.25 million. Those are figures that would impress even Hillary Clinton, who spent less per voter in her last New York Senate campaign than Murtha did in his race against Diana.

Yes, the lobbyists believe that Murtha is the best congressman money can buy.

To beat Murtha, William is going to have to outwork him (which isn't too hard given congressman's penchant for laziness) and to outsmart him. I've urged William to follow the example of Christine Todd Whitman, who almost beat the much-better-known Bill Bradley in a 1990 New Jersey Senate race. He spent more than $11 million, while she spent $900,000.

He won by two percentage points, a dismal showing that ended his aspirations to run for President. Bradley spent about $5 million on TV ads, while Mrs. Whitman spent almost nothing on such commercials. She relied mostly on a much less expensive medium, radio.

A candidate like William will have a strong core of supporters, about 35%-40% of the voters in the 12th district. He should win almost all the Republicans -- and a solid majority of the independents. In my other blog, I've discussed how William can establish that Murtha is NOT a Western PA Democrat, but rather someone who panders to the Pelosi-wing of the Party. Yes, some Democrats will vote vote for Murtha out of habit. But many Democrats in the 12th District will be very uncomfortable with a man -- Murtha -- who shares few if any of their values.

Democrats for Russell

Frankly, most Democrats in America (81% according to polls) want America to win in Iraq. In contrast, 19% of them want our country to lose -- and, by all appearances, Jack Murtha is one them. His false, disgraceful accusations against the Haditha Marines prove that the congressman cares more about his standing with the Pelosi Democrats than he does about our country's standing in the world. He's obviously more interested in winning re-election than in winning a crucial war.

Russell supporters must NOT be inward looking. In other words, we must do more than talk to one another. We need to reach out -- to family, friends, and acquaintances. For example, active military and veterans will back William in large numbers, but they need to promote his campaign to friends, family members, and acquaintances. We need to keep talking, e-mailing, and blogging about the need to back William Russell.

The goal is to make the name William "Trower" Russell a household name.

In the Irey Campaign, I saluted the efforts of two young people, Josh and Amanda, who -- in just one day -- made 500 phone calls on Diana's behalf.

Give William 500 people like Josh and Amanda, and he will win this race. I hope each person who reads this will make a decision to be a "Josh" or an "Amanda." If we keep promoting William's candidacy, one year from now -- on Election Day -- we will have accomplished something of great importance to our country.

steve maloney
ambridge, pa

Afterthoughts

I'm a fan of "political multiplication," a form of what's sometimes called viral marketing. When two people tell two others about William's values and history, he will have four supporters. If all of them keep on telling others, then sooner or later, tens of thousands of people have been "told" about William's merits. The hard part, of course, is keeping it up -- as Josh and Amanda kept making one phone after another. If there's a great core of people -- and William is getting such a core -- the advocacy of his candidacy will take on a life of its own.

To put it in it plain talk: yes, William wants the support of every member of the American Legion in the 12th District. But beyond that, he wans the legionnaires to promote his candidacy to spouses, children, neighbors, and business acquaintances. Telling many others about William's efforts -- and his lifelong commitment on behalf of America -- truly can be one of those "gifts" that keeps on giving.

John Murtha's Debt

Obviously, every congresscritter contributes to the annual budget deficit. That said, John Murtha 'contributes' more to it than most:

Twenty-one members were responsible for about $1 billion in earmarks, or financing for pet projects, according to data lawmakers were required to disclose for the first time this year. Each asked for more than $20 million for businesses mostly in their districts, ranging from major military contractors to little known start-ups.

The list is topped by the veteran earmark champions Representative John P. Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat who is the chairman of the powerful defense appropriations subcommittee, and Representative C. W. Bill Young of Florida, the top Republican on the panel, who asked for $166 million and $117 million respectively. It also includes $92 million in requests from Representative Jerry Lewis, Republican of California, a committee member who is under federal investigation for his ties to a lobbying firm whose clients often benefited from his earmarks.

It's time we stopped calling them earmarks & called them what they really are: the price of corruption. Here's how the WSJ worded it:

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.

When Democrats won majorities in the House & Senate, Nancy Pelosi said that they'd use a pay-go system to restore fiscal discipline. It sounds to me like John Murtha has a different type of pay-go system. If you don't pay Johnstown's Piper, you don't pass go. You don't collect your share of corruption markers, aka earmarks.

“Pork hasn’t gone away at all,” said Representative Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, an earmark critic who cites the “circular fund-raising” surrounding many of them. “It would be wonderful if this was a partisan issue, with Republicans on the right side, but it is really not. Many of these companies use money appropriated through earmarks to turn around and lobby for more money. Some of them are just there to receive earmarks.”

Ms. Pelosi was more interested in campaigning on earmarks than she was worried about reforming the system or "draining the swamp." Simply put, she wasn't & isn't serious about earmarks or cleaning up corruption.

That's why she needs to be a one-term Speaker & why John Murtha needs to be involuntarily retired.

Technorati: John Murtha, Nancy Pelosi, Corruption, Earmarks, Election 2008

Cross-posted at Let Freedom Ring Blog

Lt. Col William Russell: Hope for America

I met Lt. Col. William Russell early in October at an event sponsored by Diana Lynn Irey, who ran so courageously and well against John Murtha in 2006. William Russel, pictured above, is running hard against Murtha with the goal of winning. I believe he can accomplish that.

He's accomplished just about everything else in life. He's now retired from the Army and living in Johnstown, PA, in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District. His campaign manager is Larry Stiles, a Marine from the Vietnam Era.

William is a veteran of just about every modern situation where there was hostile gunfire. He served in Desert Storm, in the Balkans, and in Iraqi Freedom. On 9/11/2001, he and his wife Kasia were in the Pentagon together when the terrorist/hijackers hit the building. Thankfully, they were not hurt.

What will it take for William to win against Moneybags Murtha? He's going to need the prayers and support, including contributions, from all those who love this country as deeply as he does. He's the man and this is the time to bring an end to the long, undistinguished career of John Murtha, one of the most unsavory and self-centered individuals ever to hold high office in America.

How can you personally help William in his effort? You can do by going to his web site at: http://williamrussellforcongress.com. If you can afford to do so, please make a modest contribution to his effort. Above all, please volunteer to help, perhaps by soliciting contributions and support from others. If you live in or near the 12th District (south and east of Pittsburgh, including towns like Johnstown, Monongahela, and Washington, PA, as well as Greene County), your help can be especially important. Please bring this campaign to the attention of those on your blog and/or e-mail list.

As Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." The triumph of good -- and William is a very good man -- requires that good people, male and female, do what they can, which is sometimes more than they can imagine.

Thanks for your assistance!

Stephen R. Maloney

Ambridge, PA

http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com (writing often about this campaign)

New Contributors at Murtha Must Go!!

I'm proud to announce that we will have two more stellar contributors here at Murtha Must Go!!

Darryl Sharratt, father of unlawfully and unjustly accused Haditha Marine, Justin Sharratt (and, incidentally, a resident of PA-12, Murtha's home district) has agreed to come on board!

Mr. Sharrat will bring up close and personal the damage that Murtha's ambitions have wrought against the best and bravest to further the unscrupulous congressman's own political ambitions.

Mr. Sharrat, along with his son, Justin, were recently featured on Hannity's America:




A hearty welcome to the team, Mr. Sharratt!

Your help in meting out justice to Jack Murtha in handing his big phat backside to him is most welcome!

A second stellar contributor to this blog will be Stephen Maloney.

Stephen R. Maloney is a former college professor, author of two books, and corporate speechwriter for major companies in petroleum and pharamaceuticals. He's currently devoted to building strong national support for Alaska Governor Sarah Heath Palin (the most popular elected official in the country) as a future President of the United States, as well as support for Melissa Hart and William Russell for Congress and Heather Wilson for the U.S. Senate. Steve is the father of five daughters. He's now writing a book on evangelicals and the future of the Republican Party.

Incidentally, Mr. Maloney is following quite closely the campaign of Murtha's most worthy challenger, William Russell. He, too, knows the stakes of the upcoming election and the importance of upending Murtha's tenure once and for all.

Welcome to the team, Mr. Sharratt and Mr. Maloney--it is indeed an honor and a privilege to have both of you aboard!

Here's to handing Murtha his own "big fat backside" to him in 2008!

Sincerely,

Leo Pusateri, blog originator.

Uncanny

I just had a chance to see the Steve Carell film Evan Almighty on DVD and I have to say that John Goodman does a masterful job of portraying Congressman Jack Murtha.

In other words, he plays a big, fat, corrupt, long-serving Congressman who manipulates newer members of the House into doing his bidding for his personal gain. If Hollywood ever needs to cast an actor for the role of John Murtha in a film, all it has to do is have John Goodman reprise his role in Evan Almighty.

Squirm, Murtha, Squirm...

...Political inferno (h/t the Trammps), as in day of reckoning for "Jack the Jihad Hack."

From Roll Call via NRCC:

A defamation lawsuit against Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) over his comments about unnamed Marines involved in the Haditha incident in Iraq continued to move forward last week despite his lawyer's attempts to quash it.

Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich sued Murtha in August 2006, alleging that Murtha "publicly and falsely accused" the Marines of "cold-blooded murder and war crimes" without facts to support that claim.

Murtha has until Nov. 5 to produce documents requested by Wuterich's lawyer Mark Zaid. Zaid has made 24 documents, including materials having to do with conversations Murtha had with military officials and staff regarding the Haditha incident, his campaign activities with regards to comments he made about Haditha, and Murtha's schedule between March 1 and Aug. 10, 2006.

At a status hearing Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Darrell Valdez, representing Murtha on behalf of the Justice Department, was issued a notice of deposition for Murtha on Nov. 27.

Murtha's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Hmmm... Surprising. NOT. But wait a minute, the fun and laughter continues:

Murtha's lawyers have argued that his actions fit under the purview of his official duties. If the district court or the D.C. appeals court finds that Murtha was acting in his official capacity when he made the Haditha comments, the U.S. government would be substituted for Murtha as a defendant, which would mean the case would essentially be finished because the United States cannot be sued for libel or slander. If Murtha's lawyers try to appeal the case, they will have to move to stay discovery and the deposition, or they'll be in contempt of court for ignoring Collyer's order, according to Zaid.

Hey, Jihad Jack, you say you were a Marine at one time.  How about doing the honorable thing for once and tell the truth that the House Majority Leader's office looked just so inviting that that your big fat mouth (which, incidentally is a dead ringer for your "big phat backside") just had a mind of its own when it went and prattled that Marines in Haditha "lost it" and murdered innocent civilians in cold blood.  And then went on to flat out lie that there was no firefight-- just a bunch of friendly civilians minding their own business.  Feh.

But I suppose you left your Honor as a Marine in the geographical area south of your waistline where your brains reside, didn't you?  And now you cut and run from your responsibility to admit the truth, by trying to hide behind a legal loophole that you were only performing your official duties when you decided to play judge, jury and executioner and slander a group of Marines whose only "crime" was to execute their duties in a manner totally befitting the honor of their orders, their rules of engagement, and their Corps. 

Jack P. Murtha--know this:  You can try to cut and run behind a loophole to save your sorry arse.  But in the end you'll never be able to cut and run from the truth, nor from your Creator. 

Sooner or later, justice will prevail.

Murtha to Get His Due...

Murtha has a challenger for his seat, according to Fox News:

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — A career Army member left the service two years short of retirement to move here and try his hand at politics by challenging longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. John Murtha.

First-time candidate William T. Russell, 45, a Republican, acknowledged that taking on a popular, 18-term congressman in the 2008 election will be "an uphill battle."

"But it's one that must be fought," Russell told the Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown.

Russell plans to formally announce his candidacy within weeks. Murtha has declined comment on the challenge.

I'd love to see Murtha squirm on this one.

Especially if there's a certain now-exonerated Marine from Murtha's own district named Justin Sharrat who campaigns with Russell.

Text of Justin & Darryl Sharrat interview with Sean Hannity

Transcript I received via email from unknown source.

I will attribute it, as soon as I know.

**UPDATE*** source Here.

I made an error earlier, stating that this interview was to be on today's Hannity's America. It is evident in this interview that it will actually air in a couple weeks.

From an interview on Friday, October 14, 2007:

SEAN HANNITY: In just a few minutes we're going to be joined-remember it was John Murtha, "Ah, because of the pressure they killed innocent civilians in
cold blood."

Well, most of the Marines have now been exonerated in Haditha. You know, this rush to judgment to make a political point.What do you think it was like for those families for a year and a half of their lives? Having a United States Congressman accusing them of murdering innocent people in cold blood when in fact all they were doing was defending themselves and that's what the investigation showed.

[Sean stalled for time by telling a John Edwards story because Justin and Darryl Sharratt were just arriving in the studio.]

I want you to think about this. Think about the difficulty of what life would be like in Iraq, serving in Iraq.[to Darryl]. Mr Sharratt, you can sit right there. [to Justin] Right here, so I can get a good look at you. Thank you guys for being here.

Imagine what it's like. You go, you put your life on the line for your country, and then you're involved in an incident where an IED explodes and one of your fellow Marines is killed. And then fire comes in. How difficult would that be? And on top of it, you have a United States Congressman, before the case was even investigated, accused you of murdering innocent
civilians in cold blood.

Well, that actually happened to Justin Sharratt who is here in our studios (and Darryl Sharratt, his father). He was one of the Marines, he was there in Haditha.

How are you doing, sir? Semper fi. Welcome to the program.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Thank you. I'm doing pretty good.

SEAN HANNITY: How are you liking New York?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: It's a little busy with the traffic today, but it's pretty nice place.

SEAN HANNITY: Now what's interesting is that John Murtha is your congressman.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, that is correct. Murtha gave false information

SEAN HANNITY: Why don't we bring everybody back here-Mr. Sharratt, good to see you, sir, thank you for being with us. You actually wrote in your blog at what point because you were defending your son, you said, we knew that our son was innocent. You said our family had to endure the accusations that our son was a murderer. And we knew, and certain powers within our government, knew that those charges were false. Why do you think that's the case?

DARRYL SHARRATT: That's what was so frustrating about what happened with our family, Sean. We had information, we had the truth about Haditha, and we had to endure what John Murtha said on May 17 [2005] when he called my son a cold-blooded murderer. We had the information and we were just frustrated and in disbelief that Murtha uttered these words because as a US Congressman he was telling us that he had the information from the higher ups. And he is giving false information.

SEAN HANNITY: So for a year and a half, you live under a cloud of suspicion. Your son is out there fighting for the presumption of innocence of all Americans. And now your son is not granted that, even though he was protecting that liberty for all of us. Does that make you angry as a father?

DARRYL SHARRATT: Yes, it makes me angry as an American and I hope the American people will understand that also.

Our military personnel take the oath to serve and protect our constitution. Mr. Murtha took that same oath and he is denying the presumption of innocence and due process, what is guaranteed under our constitution, to our Marines and my son.

Justin Sharratt in Iraq and in Haditha

SEAN HANNITY: You know, Justin, what is amazing to me is that I find people who rush to judgment about people in the military. You were there. You were under fire.

First of all, how long did you serve in Iraq, how long were you there?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: I did two deployments, both of them eight to nine months long.

LCpl Justin Sharratt, second deployment, January 2006.

SEAN HANNITY: And you signed up, as I understand it, after 9/11 in part because you wanted to serve your country and you knew you were likely to go to war.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, that is correct.

SEAN HANNITY: So you knew you were going to put your life on the line for your countrymen here?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, I did.

SEAN HANNITY: And going to Iraq, you were proud to go there, even though you knew the risks.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, I did.

SEAN HANNITY: And you were in a place where there was heavy fire, as I understand it. How many Marines do you know who died, people who you knew personally?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: More than I want to count.

SEAN HANNITY: Why don't you bring us back to that day, and tell us what happened. The first thing that happened is that you're in a convoy and an IED goes off. Explain to everybody what happened.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Basically, that day started just like any other day. We had to go out to what we called a combat outpost which was a platoon--a house from where they did patrols of a sector of the city.

When that day started off, we got in the vehicles on a convoy and went to the combat outpost to drop off chow, food and water, for the Marines who were already over there. On the way back to the main firmbase where the rest of the company was, we got hit by an IED.

SEAN HANNITY: How many HUMVEE convoy did you have?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: There were four HUMVEEs in the convoy.

SEAN HANNITY: And you were in the first one as I understand it.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes.

SEAN HANNITY: That's the most dangerous one usually, right? The one that would get hit if it went over where they planted an IED?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, that is correct.

SEAN HANNITY: But in this case it was the fourth HUMVEE that got hit.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes.

SEAN HANNITY: All of a sudden you hear the explosion. What happened?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: I look behind to see if the other vehicles are still following us, see which one possibly got hit. I remember seeing the second vehicle and third vehicle but I couldn't see the fourth one. And I remember looking at a smoke cloud that rose to about 500 to a 1,000 feet in the air.

SEAN HANNITY: That's got to be one of the most frightening experiences anybody can go through.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: It is a heart-stopper for a second.

SEAN HANNITY: Now this was one of those moments where you did you lose one of your comrades, you did lose a friend, you lost a fellow Marine.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, one Marine died and two were wounded.

SEAN HANNITY: Wounded pretty severely as I understand it.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes.

SEAN HANNITY: Explain what happens next. Reports are that there was enemy fire-this was a common practice of the insurgency. An IED goes off, obviously chaos begins, it's very difficult, you're trying to save your fellow Marines, and [insurgents] start picking off Marines with sniper fire, isn't that a common practice?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, we call it a coordinated attack. They'll detonate an IED and .and immediately after anywhere from one to a company-size insurgent force will put small arms fire toward the area that they hit with the IED to further damage our convoy. And by the time the Marines would come back to assess the situation and fight back, they would already be gone.

SEAN HANNITY: And how long was it after this IED went off that you knew you had lost a fellow Marine?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: It was a minute to five minutes.

SEAN HANNITY: You knew you had a Marine who was murdered that day.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes.

SEAN HANNITY: And how soon after the IED went off did this gunfire start coming in on you guys?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Immediately.

SEAN HANNITY: Immediately. And was it rapid, was there a lot of people shooting at you?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Oh, yes.

SEAN HANNITY: So what did you do? What's the standard operating procedure? What did you do from that point?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: We called our QRF, which is a Quick Reaction Force, another squad in our platoon, they came down to get the casualties and take them to a CASEVAC, which is a landing strip for a helicopter, and they'll pick up the casualties and take them to a larger base in Iraq, if they need surgery.

So we called in for that QRF and the rest of the squad dismounted our vehicles, left a few Marines to keep security on the vehicles and we sent out a fireteam which is about four-plus Marines and we went toward the houses we were taking fire from.

SEAN HANNITY: So you're going right to the house from where you're taking fire.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes.

SEAN HANNITY: And you go into that house.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, later on I did.

SEAN HANNITY: And what happened when you went into that house that was firing on these Marines?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: When I went in there, the firefight was already over.

SEAN HANNITY: What had happened?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: What I was told happened, when they went into the houses that there were insurgents hiding behind civilians.

SEAN HANNITY: Did you end up having to fire at anybody when you were there?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: I did, throughout the rest of the day. I had to fire in the last house and in another instance.

SEAN HANNITY: And what happened when you had to fire? Did you have to kill anybody?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, I did.

SEAN HANNITY: Explain the circumstances.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: The situation I was in specifically was referred to as house four in all the reports. It was the last house. We went over there on a suspicion because there were Iraqi males poking their heads over walls looking at us. We watched them do this for about half an hour. At one point, my team leader, Corporal Salinas, fired a training purpose round out of his
grenade launcher on his M16. A training purpose round is what we call blue death. It's a plastic shell with orange paint inside it. So when it hits the wall, it's just going to splatter paint everywhere which would let those Iraqis know, hey, we're watching you.


SSgt Frank Wuterich and Cpl Hector Salinas

So the last time he did that, they went inside and then twenty minutes later, they kept doing it. So we down there to see exactly what they were up to.

So we walked down the road to the houses which ended up being two houses and one courtyard. The first house we went into had all women and children. And we asked them where the men were, the insurgents, did they have any weapons? And they pointed next door.

So we left one Marine to guard those women and children and myself and Staff Sergeant Wuterich went to the next house.

When we get in the house, the first room was completely empty. No one was even in it. I went to walk their doorway to continue searching. When I got to the doorway, there was an insurgent with an AK-47 pointed at me.

So I brought my SAW up, my Squad Automatic Weapon, a full automatic machine gun, and I went to fire at him and my SAW jammed.

SEAN HANNITY: That's got to be scary.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: It is. So what happened was I pulled out of that doorway and I had a 9mm pistol with me. I let my SAW hang on the sling and I pulled out the 9mm pistol. I went back up the doorway, hoping that insurgent would still be there. He wasn't at first. I waited a second and he popped back up, bringing his AK-47 up at me, so I shot at him, killing him. Then I went into the room, hoping I'd have the speed to get in there and stop any other threat. And when I walked in there, there were three Iraqi insurgents and the first one had an AK-47. He saw me and he was getting ready to draw it up. There were two other guys behind him. I couldn't tell if there were armed or not but I wasn't going to take any chance so I drew my 9mm pistol and I took them all out.

[Note: SSgt. Wuterich was involved in this shooting as well.]

SEAN HANNITY: And that's what you're supposed to do. That's what you're training teaches you to do.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Correct.

SEAN HANNITY: That those who would second-guess you when you're life is on the line like that is frightening.

We have to take a break here. When we come back, I want to play the Murtha tape and get your reaction to what Murtha said, and your dad's reaction. And I also read, because, in almost unprecedented language, you were exonerated and the word innocent was used in terms of the charges against you. And I want an update on John Murtha.

One of the brave Marines at Haditha, defending himself, Justin Sharratt (and his father Darryl is with us) who defended himself in Haditha. These are the Marines that John Murtha rushed to judgment and accused them of murdering innocent civilians in cold blood. Many including Justin have been exonerated. And one big question is, where is the apology from John Murtha?
We'll get to that. And if you'd like to talk to this brave Marine, our toll-free telephone number is 1-800-941-SEAN if you'd like to be part of the program.

I'm also putting together a very special edition of "Hannity's America" a week from this Sunday night. You're going to meet Justin and we're going to tell the entire real, truthful Haditha story that has never been told.

(Break)

Murtha's rush to judgment

SEAN HANNITY: Let's take you back. Without any evidence, without any investigation, a rush to judgment, there's no assumption of innocence. Here is Congressman John Murtha...




JOHN MURTHA: [tape from May 17, 2005] There was no firefight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure put on them. And they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.

When you hear that Justin, you were there, and now you have been exonerated, how does that make you feel?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: It will always make me feel upset that someone who doesn't know the facts is going to get on TV and talk about it like he knows the facts.

Me personally, what I think he should do is go to Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas' home and tell his parents what he said on the news--

SEAN HANNITY: Lance Corporal Terrazas is the one who was killed by the IED that day.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes.

LCpl Miguel Terrazas, 20, from El Paso, Texas
SEAN HANNITY: And that lead up to this.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes. I would like him to go to Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas' parent's house and tell them face-to-face that exact thing and I want to see what their reaction would be.

SEAN HANNITY: Let me ask you, Darryl, you're Justin's father, I assume that you're one angry person. I would be. I would be furious.

DARRYL SHARRATT: Yes, we were, Sean. The whole family, my wife and I, we had a problem with what Mr. Murtha said that day and we have done our best to get through it. But we feel that Mr. Murtha needs to answer, and he needs to answer in a way similar to what Justin and his six Marine comrades do. He needs to answer to a higher form of justice to where he will be able to sit down and he will be sworn in and he will go through the judicial process
similar to what my son and these six other Marines have gone through.

SEAN HANNITY: Are you going to sue Congressman Murtha?

DARRYL SHARRATT: Well, yes, we are. We have talked to quite a few attorneys. We have thought about getting on the tails of the suit that was brought on by Staff Sergeant Wuterich and [his attorney] Mark Zaid, but, in fact, I believe we have a New York City attorney who's willing to take the case. And he seems to be working with me well.

And I want the American public to know we're not after vengeance. We need justice. We need justice similar to what my son has had to go through. And I just feel that a Democrat controlled Congress will not bring Murtha to justice.

SEAN HANNITY: I don't want to stop you but we got what we call a hard break here. Murtha was asked if he'd apologize and I want to get your reaction to that and I want you to pick up that thought when we come back.

Justin Sharratt (and his father, Darryl), one of the ones accused of murder
by John Murtha when in fact they've been exonerated.

(Break)


JOHN MURTHA: [tape from May 17, 2005] There was no firefight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure put on them. And they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.

The current status of Haditha cases

SEAN HANNITY: That's Congressman John Murtha, rushing to judgment without any investigation, without any proof, without any evidence, and he accused innocent Marines-how many have now been exonerated, Justin?

Justin Sharratt is with us, and his father Darryl, Justin is one of the Marines that he was accusing of murdering innocent civilians in cold blood. How many now have been exonerated?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: On the enlisted side you've got myself, and a Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum which right now his Article 32 judge he has recommended that he has all his charges dropped.

SEAN HANNITY: All of them dropped in that case?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes.

SEAN HANNITY: And there's one outstanding Marine that murder charges against him have been [recommended to be dismissed].

SSgt Frank Wuterich
JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes.

SEAN HANNITY: And he'll probably end up being exonerated, too.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes.

The family's reaction to Murtha's false claims

SEAN HANNITY: That means this rush to judgment by John Murtha, a United States congressman, will have falsely accused you of murder.

You were saying something pretty power, Mr. Sharratt, during the break. This is a year and a half of your life, and your son is falsely accused, and he's a powerful congressman, and you felt at times powerless.

DARRYL SHARRATT: We felt like the world had just fallen on us when
Congressman Murtha made these statements on May 17th [2005].

When a congressman as powerful as Murtha comes on national television and calls your son a murderer, the American people want to believe him.

But what happened was, he was wrong. He was totally and absolutely wrong.

And we had the evidence, but, again, as an individual it was frustrating because, first, I couldn't reveal most of the evidence we had because it was classified. I did not come out and be an anonymous leak. I couldn't do that. I had to hold this information although I wanted to come out with my son and proclaim this.

In fact, two months after the Haditha incident Justin took a polygraph. Seven questions he was asked by the NCIS and he passed the polygraph. I had this, I had this information, it was stamped "NCIS eyes only". I couldn't get it out. But my son passed his polygraph.

SEAN HANNITY: We're putting together a very special edition that will air in a couple of weeks on "Hannity's America", telling the real truth, including an interview with you, Justin and Darryl.

But this is important.

Because a year and a half of your life is taken away from you. A United States congressman rushes to judgment, proclaims you're guilty of murder, and then when the investigation is finally complete, the findings by LtGen James N. Mattis, commander of the First Marine Expeditionary Force, exonerates you in a two-page document.

And I want everybody to hear. The very person that John Murtha accused of killing innocent civilians in cold blood. Mattis not only cleared you of all legal charges, but he went out of his way to call you innocent in the general's eyes.

The dismissal came after an investigating officer found that Sharratt acted appropriately when he shot a group of armed men while searching a house in Haditha hours after other members of his unit killed numerous women and children in an alleged killing spree through two other houses.

"Operational, moral, legal imperatives demand that we Marines stay true to our own standards and maintain compliance with the law of war in this morally bruising environment," [LtGen Mattis] wrote. "With the dismissal of this charges, you may fairly conclude that you did your best to live up to the standard followed by US fighting men throughout our many wars in the
face of life or death decisions made by you in a matter of second in combat."

That gives me chills just reading that.

Innocent of all charges.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, that's correct.

SEAN HANNITY: I want to play for you, the Young American Foundation actually confronted Mr. Murtha and asked if he'd apologize to you for accusing you of murdering innocent civilians. Here's how this went down.

JASON MATTERA, YOUNG AMERICAN FOUNDATION: [tape from September 18, 2007]
Now that murder charges against LCpl. Justin Sharratt and Stephen Tatum have dropped in the Haditha incident, or are in the process of being dropped would you like to issue an apology for saying they killed innocent civilians in cold blood?

JOHN MURTHA: Is the trial still going on?

JASON MATTERA: Justin Sharratt and Stephen Tatum--two men you accused of murdering innocent civilians in cold blood--

JOHN MURTHA: Is the trial still going on?

JASON MATTERA: The charges are in the process of being dismissed.

JOHN MURTHA: Are they still going on? Out, out!

JASON MATTERA: Do you like besmirching our troops, sir?

JOHN MURTHA: Have you ever been in the service? I enlisted in Korea, and I enlisted in Vietnam!

JASON MATTERA: Sir, you accused them of murdering innocent civilians in cold blood. That's something that would come out of Al Jazeera, not a congressman, sir.

SEAN HANNITY: He's saying, "out, out,", he's kicking this kid out. We're going to show this in our special with you guys on "Hannity's America" in a couple of weeks.

But I got to tell you something. To not have the decency to apologize to you is beyond the pale. I frankly think he should be expelled from Congress over this. Do you?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, I agree completely.


LCpl Stephen Tatum
Justin Sharratt for Congress!

SEAN HANNITY: And you're in his district. You know, you could run against him.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: That is a possibility.

SEAN HANNITY: Would you consider running?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: If I was old enough, that is a good possibility.

SEAN HANNITY: You're old enough, you're old enough to carry a Marine weapon, you're old enough-[laughs] We'll see what happens.

Callers

SEAN HANNITY: There are a lot of people on the line who want to talk to you. And I'm going to start with Greg Garvey who I see is on the line. Greg Garvey is a friend of this program. Greg lost his son in Iraq. And I'm honored to call this man a friend. We've met on numerous occasions, he's a great American, Greg, you're on the line. Welcome to the program, you're on
with Justin Sharratt and his father Darryl, how are you?

GREG GARVEY [caller:] I'm doing fine, Sean, and thank you for taking my call. Justin, welcome home.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Thank you.

GREG GARVEY [caller:] Darryl, we've spoken on the phone a few times I believe-I hope you remember me.

DARRYL SHARRATT: Oh, Greg, I remember you well. Your son Justin served well [breaking down] and I'm sorry you lost him.

GREG GARVEY [caller:] I know we've had this conversation in private many times. [struggling to keep his composure] I followed your son Justin's situation ever since I heard about it. And Justin, if you don't know this, maybe your dad shared it with you, but you enlisted in the Marines on July 28th, 2003. The same day I buried my son, Justin. And I followed your
situation since the beginning. I was in Johnstown, Pennsylvania a year ago, one of the guest speakers at the Boot Murtha rally along with David Beamer, Todd Beamer's father from Flight 93, our friend John Wrobleski, Earl Johnson (a 9/11 survivor), we were all there doing what we could for you. And I just want to tell you that I understand a father's love. Your father loves you, and he fought for you.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Thank you.

GREG GARVEY [caller:] Thank you.

SEAN HANNITY: Greg, you're a great American, buddy, you're the best.

GREG GARVEY [caller:] Thank you, Sean.

SEAN HANNITY: We appreciate your calling, my friend. Let's go to Gail who's in Seattle, KVI, Gail you're on Justin Sharratt and Darryl, his father. How are you?

GAIL [caller:] Hi, Sean. Thanks for taking my call. Hi, Darryl, hi, Justin.

I wanted to apologize to you on behalf of those who don't believe in you. I'm really sorry.

But I also wanted to thank you from bottom of my heart that you're doing what you do. I'm just sorry that you're having to go through it. But thank you very much.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: No, thank you.

SEAN HANNITY: You know something? We don't thank our brave Marines, our armed service guys enough. You know, here you are risking your life so that we can have the presumption of innocence in this country didn't offer that to you.

And in that sense, we have failed you.

Our system has failed you.

And it is heartbreaking.

Darry, I look at you, you're broken up. This really is painful.

DARRYL SHARRATT: Well, yes, it is, Sean. I've gone through this for a year and a half and just hearing from these great Americans calling in and showing their support for my son, I just want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.

SEAN HANNITY: I don't think most people know the pain that a family goes through being falsely accused. And especially when you're out there doing what your country asked you to do. I don't think anyone knows what it's like to go to bed every night with the stress of knowing that a United States congressman has accused you of murder when in fact you are really an American hero. Did you sleep a lot in the last year and a half, Darryl?

DARRYL SHARRATT: No, I didn't, Sean, no. My wife didn't sleep much either. All we could think about was Justin. [breaking down]

SEAN HANNITY: You think about your son and you think about how the country you love has let him down. How a war has become so politicized. Look at what's been said. John Kerry accused our troops of terrorizing women and children in the dark of night.

Folks, I know people out there may be saying, "Hannity, don't give me that litany again." But you think about it. The second most powerful Democrat compared our troops to Nazis at Guantanamo. Harry Reid sent these kids over there to fight and then told them that the war they're fighting is lost. Hillary Clinton calling a four-star general a liar, basically, "a willing
suspension of disbelief".

Let's go back to our phones. We have David from Marietta, Georgia, Newstalk 750 WSB, David you're on with Justin and Darryl Sharratt, how are you?

DAVID [caller:] Very good, Sean, thank you for taking my call. It's Marietta, California, but anyways--Justin? Thank you for what you've done for us.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Thank you.

DAVID [caller:] What I heard about this, I don't know a lot about it but in my opinion, since he besmirched me and the US Marine Corps, I would be going after [Murtha] and I would be asking him to step down personally. He's your congressman, you're from the same state?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Yes, actually, the same voting district.

DAVID [caller:] Well, I'd definitely make it a campaign right in my district. I'd go after him right to his voting base.

SEAN HANNITY: I want to tell you.

DAVID [caller:] That's my opinion.

SEAN HANNITY: That's my opinion, too, David, that's a good point. I'm going to make a promise to you, Justin. If you decide to do this, if you decide to run against John Murtha, I will do everything I can do to help you raise money and defeat him. I think the ultimate justice is--I believe the people in his district, if given a choice between somebody who is serving his
country and falsely accused-I think this could be incredible-I know you're a young man. How old are you?

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Twenty-three.

SEAN HANNITY: You're twenty-three years old. But you know what? You have the strength and maturity, you know, if you can go out in Iraq and the streets of Haditha and withstand multiple IED attacks and sniper gunfire on a daily basis. You've proven you have the character, the toughness, the strength, to take on John Murtha. And I can promise that this audience will back you up. And support you in every way imaginable: financially, everything they can
do, I'll give the maximum donation I can if you decide to do this.

We have our friend John Wrobleski on the line. And John, too, lost his son in Iraq and he's a dear friend of this program and a dear friend of mine. How are you, John?

JOHN WROBLESKI[caller:] Hey, Sean, how are you?

SEAN HANNITY: How are you, buddy?

JOHN WROBLESKI [caller:] You're a great American.

SEAN HANNITY: You're a great American.

JOHN WROBLESKI [caller:] I was listening to Justin Sharratt and like Greg Garvey, I just heard him a little while ago, our family followed the story intently. I just want to thank Justin for his service. Semper fi, Justin. You're a hero. And I just want to thank him also for the courage that he shows to expose John Murtha for what he really is. Just an amazing
individual, Justin, you're a true hero. I'm proud to be able to say that my son was a Marine, just like Justin, had courage that is just unparalleled.

SEAN HANNITY: Well, John, we know you paid a dear price. And you've been a champion, and given an alternative voice to parents. I know the mainstream media pays more attention to the Cindy Sheehans of the world. But there are a lot of Greg Garveys and John Wrobleskis out there that have lost their sons and believe we have to win and have victory in Iraq.

What does it mean to both of you that this war has been so politicized? And these horrible things that have been said by the leaders of the United States Congress?

DARRYL SHARRATT: Well, Sean, you would think we would have learned our lesson
with Vietnam, that we need to let our wars by fought by generals, and they people who know what they're doing. If you look at the background of all these generals. These are smart people. They know their business and they know what they're doing. We need to allow them to fight the war. You mentioned General Petraeus. He comes on and tells you that the 30,000 troop
surge is working. I have a question. If the 30,000 is working, let's send in 90,000. Just think how much better it would work. We'd have a Marine or an Army soldier on every corner of these city streets in Iraq and Justin and his comrades wouldn't have to worry about these IEDs because we'd catch them planting them. This would end a lot quicker. Give him more troops. If the 30,000 is working, give him more and it'll work much better and much faster.

But it is working, Sean.

SEAN HANNITY: I've said many times, could you imagine if people weren't using the war for political advantage, if America was united, if America put its time, its money, its energy, its resources, the best of the best, people like your son. And we all got behind it, does anyone doubt America would fail? The fact that it is politicized is frightening.

Tim, a Marine in Pennsylvania, wants to say hi and we're running out of time. Tim, you're on with Justin and his father Darryl. How are you?

TIM: [caller:]: Hi, Sean, I'm doing well. This is just real quick. Justin and Darryl: Semper fi. I served in the Marine Corps, I've been in Iraq. That's nothing to be ashamed about in what you did. You definitely followed your Corps values of honor, courage, and commitment. Keep trucking forward in terms of what you want to do as far as Congressman Murtha goes. American citizens shouldn't be putting our troops down. They need to be rallying behind them all the time. Semper fi.

DARRYL SHARRATT: Thank you very much, Tim.

SEAN HANNITY: We're putting together a special, the truth about the heroes of Haditha, on "Hannity's America", it's going to air in a couple weeks.

Justin, this country has failed you.

And for that, we apologize.

We owe you a debt of gratitude.

And you know something, Darryl? We failed you, too.

No parent should have to suffer as much as you have. And I want to thank you both for being with us. God bless you both and thank you for being here and we'll put together this special and we look forward to airing it in a couple of weeks.

JUSTIN SHARRATT: Terrific.

DARRYL SHARRATT: Thank you for having us on, Sean.

SEAN HANNITY: Thank you, guys.

(Break)

SEAN HANNITY: I hope this last hour made you as angry and resolved as its made me.

We're doing a special on Haditha, the truth and the horrible treatment of these families by John Murtha and our government coming up on "Hannity's America" in a couple of weeks.

(Break)

Sean sums it up

SEAN HANNITY: We'll do the mainstream media's job, we'll put together the truth about Hadtha. And we'll feature this brave Marine, Justin Sharratt, and his father, Darryl.

You could probably hear on the air in the last hour, the pain in this father's voice. The suffering that this family has been through.

You think of a Marine who signs up after 9/11. That knows he's likely to be put in harm's way. Because he wants to defend our country and our liberties and our way of life-including the idea that we have a presumption of innocence.

And then you have these blindly ambitious politicians out there, like John Murtha.

This is all roadkill. Destroying people's lives with abandon to make a political point, for some type of political advantage.

And never having to apologize. Never wanting to apologize.

That's not how most of us govern our lives. When we make mistakes, the first thing we want to do is make it right. We want to admit in our hearts we were wrong. We have a conscience, a soul. We're in conflict until we make it right.

Not in the case of John Murtha. There has been no apology.

And you can hear in this father's voice-you imagine the suffering they've been through. A year and a half. When it turns out their son is an actual hero.

We're going to have more on this. We're putting together a very special edition of "Hannity's America", the truth about Haditha.