Megalomaniacal Murtha

ahIFirst he declared the Iraq War all but lost, and more than once called for an immediate withdrawal. Seeing as how the Left just loved him, invited him to all the right parties, and even gave him awards befitting Benedict Arnold, Murtha felt even more brazen in his lust for power, when he declared Marines at Haditha guilty of murder, without any official briefing, again, to further his drive for power.

Then, in 2008, came William Trower Russell. A retired Army Colonel, who still knows the meaning of honor and practices it, Russell had Murtha running scared for the first time in his checkered, scandal-laden political career. So scared was Jihad Jack Murtha that he had to call in Bill Clinton to wag his finger at PA-12 constituents in a last-ditch effort to save his sorry, fat, political backside.

Having won re-election, now Murtha is again usurping his power in another nefarious way:

Russell, a retired Army man who plans another run against Murtha next year, now contends that the congressman’s chief of staff used coarse language while threatening to have the GOP candidate “recalled” to active military duty.

Russell further claims that Murtha’s office has contacted his former commanding officer, also to inquire about a potential recall.

“This is a brazen abuse of power and a threat to the integrity of both the Department of Defense and the Congress of the United States,” Russell wrote in a recent fundraising letter to local voters.

Russell, who last year lost by about 15 percentage points to the veteran congressman, said the encounter with Murtha Chief of Staff John Hugya happened at a March banquet benefitting the National Rifle Association in Washington County.

“To my face, (Hugya) said, ‘What are you going to do when we get the new Secretary of the Army seated and have your (expletive) recalled to active duty,’ ” Russell wrote.

Murtha’s office is not denying that the exchange took place.

But spokesman Matt Mazonkey also claims that Russell’s letter leaves out an important part of the conversation.

“Mr. Hugya, who is a retired Marine Colonel, was reminding Mr. Russell that his conduct while in uniform during the last campaign was in violation of sections of the uniform code of military justice” and a Department of Defense directive, Mazonkey said in a written statement.

That directive forbids those on active military duty from campaigning for federal office.

The contention, apparently, is that Russell should be recalled so that he can face charges for allegedly campaigning while he was on a 90-day, active-duty Army assignment last year.

Those allegations have been brewing since last summer. But Russell still contends they are “absolutely false.”

While he was on duty from April 30 through the end of July, Russell said, “the campaign committee operated independently of me.”

And that, my friends, is absolutely TRUE. William Russell did not personally begin campaigning until his discharge from the Army. His May, 2008 interview on the Michael Savage show was actually taped well before his April activation, and then aired later. But don't let a little thing like the truth get in the way of Jihad Jack Murtha holding on to power like a hooker grasps her last 5 dollar bill.

Bottom line is, to Jack Murtha, the Constitution and the rights it extends may as well be a roll of toilet paper. He will crumple it, trample it, and do anything he can to extend his reach on his power.

Megalomania? You bet.

PA-12-- are you starting to get buyer's remorse yet?

W.T.F?

Murtha has gotten an award... from the Navy?

The U.S. Navy awarded U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., its Distinguished Public Service Award, triggering an Internet campaign to have Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter withdraw it.

Murtha, who publicly accused U.S. Marines of cold-blooded murder in a firefight in Haditha, Iraq, and was caught on camera in the Abscam scandal appearing to negotiate a bribe, was honored by the Navy for his "selfless devotion to the Nation's Sailors and Marines."

The award credits him with making sure the military services "were provided the resources necessary to effectively conduct the Global War on Terrorism."

"His courageous leadership, vision, and loyalty to the men and women of the Department of the Navy greatly contributed to their quality of life and helped create the most modern and highly trained fighting force in history," the honor said.

This is like giving Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge an award for his humane treatment of the Hmong. I don't know, Maybe Winter saw fit to hand ol' Jihad Jack an award because it was Marines that he threw under the bus? Or was it some quid-pro-quo and some palm-greasing PR gesture, knowing that Murtha holds the purse strings for the stuff the Navy needs?

At any rate, this better be some really twisted joke. I know at least twelve Marines and their families who I'm sure don't find this amusing at all.

If you're as disgusted with this as I am, please sign this petition.

**UPDATE***

As of this writing, there are 17,934 signatories asking this honor be revoked.

A sad anniversary...

John Murtha: 35 years of pork-laden, self-serving, troop-smearing corruption.

Happy anniversary.

More proof that Murtha is SENILE.

...and that he has no clue of which he speaks.

(CNSNews.com) - Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) said Wednesday that he opposes the all-volunteer army and that a military draft, based on a lottery with no deferments, is necessary during wartime.

Murtha painted a bleak picture of the U.S. military during his address, saying the armed forces are stretched too thin and that the number of new soldiers recruited without having a high school diploma had increased.

[SNIP]“Well, we’ll never be able to fight a conventional war where you have two fronts without a draft. You can’t do it – 70 percent of the people in World War II were drafted and 40 percent in Vietnam. The draftees did fine,” he said.

Newsflash to Murtha: We are fighting multiple fronts in this war, and we have plenty of volunteers to fight it.

Another newsflash to clueless Jack Murtha: Our volunteer soldiers don't want inductees. Period. My son can attest to the fact that they'd rather serve any day with other volunteers than serve with others who are forced to be there.

One more newsflash to clueless Jack Murtha: The Vietnam draftees didn't do fine.

Remember, this is the great military mind who thought it would be a good idea to redeploy our troops from Iraq to Okinawa. The same military genius who thought it a good idea to cut and run from Lebanon, which in part gave Osama bin Laden the inspiration to perpetrate 9/11.

Yeah. A real man of genius, that Murtha is.

(click for full size)

That is all.

Open Letter to PA GOP

(ed note--I couldn't get this through because of overzealous (by design, perhaps?) spam filters, but if any of our readers can pass this on, I'd appreciate it--thanks)

To the leadership of PA-GOP...

I guess I don't understand it.

You have had a chance to knock off the most corrupt, democrat congressman, possibly in the history of the United States, who sits ensconsed in your own backyard much like Jabba the Hut, and you keep on shooting yourselves in your collective kneecap. Jack Murtha slanders and unlawfully convicts those who put their lives on the line to defend us and our way of life, and you don't so much as lift a finger to depose his ass. Alternately, you actually enable his re-election.

You didn't lift a finger when Diana Irey ran against the gasbag in '06.

You were active in trying to keep Lt. Col.William Trower Russell, an honorable veteran, off the ballot; he had to get in on a write-in campaign after the local GOP had him tossed off!!

You chose not to take an active part in deposing a democrat politician who has lived high on the taxpayer hog for thirty-four (soon to be 36) friggen years!!

And then you have the gall to still want money from your constituents???

Since May 19 of 2006, after Murtha played judge, jury and executioner to the Haditha Marines, I (and some talented, like-minded friends) have maintained the blog, Murtha Must Go!!

Isn't it kind of pathetic that people from around our nation, myself being from Minnesota, others from Chicago, etc., who clearly recognize what a scourge Congressman Murtha is on the national political scene, care more and do more to expose Murtha than does the Pennsylvania GOP???

Are you that comfortable wallowing in Murtha's abject debauchery that you, too, are willing to look the other way?

Are you, as are many a corn-fed dependent PA-12 constituent, blinded by the pork?

Must the remainder of the people in this nation, disgusted by Murtha's traitorous behavior that has literally taken its toll in lost lives, continue to do the heavy lifting that the PA GOP continues to refuse to do?

Don't get me wrong. I'm still going to go after Murtha. I'm still going to expose the corruption, and I won't rest until he either gets unseated or takes a well-deserved frog march and perp-walk in front of a thousand cameras.

But it would be nice to get a little help once in a while.

Sincerely,

Leo J. Pusateri, Jr.

Founder and Editor of Murtha Must Go!!

Murtha Does it Again: Disrespect for PA-12 Voters

From CentralPA.com:

Congressman John Murtha makes another comment that's upsetting some of his constituents.

Murtha actually made the comments in a live interview last week. He was talking about his challenger Bill Russell. And he got a little heated at the thought that his challenger might win the election.

He called his opponent a carpetbagger and he swore on live television while he did it. Murtha has since apologized about his language. He said he's a former drill instructor and sometimes lapses into that type of language. He said it's also because he gets so worked up about this election. And Murtha said he doesn't really have anything else to say about it.

Getting "worked up" about this election, are we, Jack? Could it be because you hear that distant sucking sound, that sound of your years of tenure, years of corruption, years of buying votes with taxpayer money, years of unchecked porkbarrel spending, going up in smoke?

Are you getting "worked up" because for once in your 17-term tenure, a fine upstart, an honorable man, for a change, stands poised to unseat you?

Are you getting "worked up" because your constituents are finally tiring of the unending "Huey Long" type of corruption, not to mention your disparaging, condescending comments made toward them, and even one of their own in uniform that you disparaged with extreme prejudice, for purposes of cheap, political gain?

Are you getting "worked up" because the gravy train you've worked so long to engineer, courtesy of U.S. taxpayers, may be about to derail?

Are you "worked up" because the corrupt political empire you built may be crumbling, courtesy of a man of honor who seeks to take your seat?

Is that why you're getting "worked up," Jack?

Heh. Sucks to be you.

Going....Going.... Russell leads Murtha by Double Digits!!

Michelle Malkin reports:(emphases added)

A Pennsylvania source has just leaked me brand spanking new poll data showing GOP upstart Bill Russell leading John Murtha among over 800 probable voters by 48-35.

This comes on top of the Susquehanna poll showing Murtha ahead of Russell by 4 points, within the margin of error.

The new poll is from Dane and Associates, which surveyed over 800 probable voters, randomly selected to reflect the district makeup, on Wednesday night.

I guess insulting the intelligence of your constiuents can get you only so far, eh Jack?

BTW, it probably wouldn't hurt to drop by Bill Russell's site and send a few bucks his way, just to nail Murtha's ass, but good.

A little look at history...

John Murtha's history of being a robber-baron, playing free and easy with the toils of the taxpayers, is far from being a short one. Let me take you on a trip down memory lane to Murtha's challenge from another democrat opponent, Frank Mascara, in 2002

Murtha challenged Mascara to a debate early in the campaign. Mascara quickly accepted, but Murtha said he couldn't fit the debates into his schedule. So Mascara offered a $1,000 bounty to anyone who could convince Murtha to debate. The money went unclaimed.

While Mascara was trying to get Murtha to debate, Murtha was announcing millions of dollars worth of federal grants and projects throughout the 12th District.

As the second-ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Murtha has control over military spending and has steered defense-related contracts to companies throughout the district. Murtha's slogan, "the congressman who delivers," became the theme of his campaign.

Murtha made immediate inroads in the new district. At one point, he dealt Mascara a blow in the heart of his 20th District by awarding a $2 million grant to a center that retrains unemployed coal miners at California University of Pennsylvania, Mascara's alma mater.

Mascara had enjoyed support from the United Mine Workers of America through the Greene-Fayette-Washington areas, but the union endorsed Murtha for re-election.

That's all Murtha had to do to win votes. A little pork here, a little pork there, paid for by the very taxpayers he supposedly serves. When asked about his opponent after the election, a gloating, self-aggrandizing Murtha declared:

"I usually don't take things like this personally, but I did this time. He was desperate. He wanted to win so bad he would stoop to anything. I haven't heard from him, and I don't expect to."

He would "...stoop to anything to win," eh Jack? You mean like your decision to betray your country during a time of war by starting an unprecedented negative propaganda campaign against our troops and their mission; just like the time in May of 2005 when you threw 15 Haditha Marines under the bus for your own political aggrandizement, just so you could win the House Majority Seat?

Seems like Mr. Mascara learned from the best...er worst. But let's face it-- on Mascara's meanest, most unscrupulous day, he could never stoop so low or be so ruthless as Jihad Jack Murtha.

Jihad Jack Murtha: San Francisco Elitist (Wannabe)

For years, Congressman Jack Murtha had been a major behind-the-scences powerbroker in the U.S. House. He pretty much pulled the strings in all things defense, and nothing happened without it going through him first. But despite the power that Jack Murtha had, he was, in the end, still behind the scenes.

Tired of being the red-headed step-child of the democrat party, Congressman Jack Murtha (PA-12) devised a plan that he hoped would propel him to the ranks of the democrat elite. So back on a bleak November day in 2005, Jack Murtha took out his thirty pieces of silver, and traded them for what he hoped would be a seat at the movon.org power structure of the DNC. An ex-Marine, Murtha willingly gave cover to the democrat party in their bid to set into motion an unprecedented, unsrupulous, and unprincipled campaign to make political hay out of the war in Iraq by pushing to ensure its failure, damn the casualties. From that fateful day in November, 2005, Murtha (at least in his own mind) became the absolute toast of the democrat anti-war kook left.

Feeling stuck in a position of being a backroom powerbroker in D.C., Jack felt he deserved a more prominent spot at the table of power. Safe in the womb of his own district from years and years and millions upon millions in taxpayer-supplied pork spending, Murtha felt (and was at the time) invulnerable. Jack therefore felt it safe to cast his lot with the looniest of the leftists, in a whorish effort to gain favor with those who would nourish his already checkered political career. Betting that the U.S. Congress would change hands in the 2006 elections, Jack Murtha became more and more virulent in his anti-war rhetoric. he even went so far as to throw eight of his Marine brethren under the bus in May of 2006, when without evidence he played judge, jury and executioner in the Haditha incident; an incident in which all were exonerated (and for which Murtha to this day refuses to apologize).

With his eyes ever on the prize, and with his rheteric growing ever more ruthless and reckless, Jack Murtha looked forward to the day when he, too, would be invited to all the right cocktail parties, and be seen as an equal with the rest of the anti-American elite democrat power structure. Visions of Soviet hammers and sickles danced in his head, and he probably orgasmed in his pants when his dream of a democrat takeover of Congress came through in November of 2005. Murtha was the pied piper of death and destruction in his role in sabotaging the war effort for the democrat party, and felt that he must be paid. Speaker Pelosi agreed, and placed upon Jack Murtha her impiratur for the coveted House Majority Leader spot. Nothing could stop Jack from finally achieving the apex of his congressional career, and was looking forward to being coronated as the second highest ranking member in the U.S. House.

Or so he thought.

You see, Murtha, like any member of the white limousine liberal kook-left plantation, was expendable. Not too many people liked him in the first place. Murtha proved his usefulness in handing the democrats a 2006 electoral victory. His usefulness gone, their victories won, the DNC power structure that Jack Murtha so wanted to be a part of, for which he sold his very soul, threw him under the bus like the sack of disposable diapers that he is. Like a college frat that uses a dweeb pledge to take the fall for a major prank and then dumps him, the DNC power structure rejected Murtha's bid, and nearly laughed in his face doing it.

Dejected, but not broken, Murtha continued his stint as major pork-broker in the U.S. House, and continued to line his political coffers with donations from the beneficiaries of Murtha's looseness with the publicly funded largesse.

But you see, to this very day, Jihad Jack Murtha wants to continue to endear himself to the tainted left, to be wanted and loved, and wanted so much to be considered relevant, that he is willing to throw not only Marines, but his very constituency under the bus. Calling PA-12 residents racists the other day, and then rednecks today, Murtha is trying desperately to continue to be accepted by the democrat D.C. power structure who continue to treat him like a house boy. Knowing that Obama will lose in a decidedly conservative military district, Murtha is striving to apologize for the very people who have placed him in power lo these 17 congressional terms.

Jack Murtha's story has all the makings of a Greek tragedy, only his actions have had some very real consequences, His megalomaniacal penchant for power has, in my opinion (and others') had the net effect of prolonging the war; and his aid and comfort given to our enemies have resulted in unnecessary and untold loss of life and subsequent grief to soldiers and their families.

Jack Murtha may never fit in with the San Francisco elite he is trying so desperately to emulate and to be a part of, but one thing is for sure: for his entire sorry political career, the only thing that has ever mattered to Jack Murtha, is and was, Jack Murtha.

From" Racists" To "Rednecks", Flattery Will Get You Nowhere Jihad Jackoff

Will he come out Wednesday and claim he really didn't mean to call them racists or rednecks, he really meant to say Jerry Springer loving White trash? Never know as his senility reaches new heights previously detected.

So at this juncture can someone take ol' Jack out to the proverbial woods like a suffering hound and possibly put him out of his obvious political misery and increasing dementia before he finally says something that gets someone hurt, just like it did to our 8 brave soldiers in Haditha, Iraq, likely getting other soldiers killed as a result, thanks to the apprehension they all must carry with them in the field of battle, afraid they'll become the next target of not Al Queda but their own government with Jihad himself driving the Humvee of innuendo and personal destruction.

Pennsylvanians, please tell me you've finally had enough of the Haditha Hog who needs to finally be sent to the butcher once and for all after this past week of insulting anyone and everyone he could manage. After all, what'll it take to finally raise the ire of you folks may I ask? Isn't being referred to as Rednecks and Racists just a little too much from your own congressman?

I sure would hope so.....otherwise if you don't send him packing now. I would have to say he may just be right about you all at the end of the day.

Murtha Calls Western Pa. 'Redneck' -

Pittsburgh News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh: "CHARLEROI, Pa. -- U.S. Rep. John Murtha is calling many of the people who put him in office 'rednecks.'

The news comes one week after Murtha claimed the area is racist, then apologized for that comment.

In explaining his comments about racism, Murtha told WTAE it's difficult for many in the area to change. Murtha said that just five to 10 years ago the entire area was 'redneck.'

Now Murtha said only certain segments of the population are holding on to those racist feelings.

Just days after classifying western Pennsylvania as racist, Murtha took a step back from those comments, albeit a small one.

'What I said, that indicted everybody, that's not what I meant at all. What I mean is there's still folks that have a problem voting for someone because they are black,' Murtha said."

Boy oh Boy.....

Johnstown-Democrat..still in bed with Murtha...

With regard to the pending lawsuit by PA-12 constituent Justin Sharratt against Jihad Jack Murtha, the editors at the Johnstown-Democrat no doubt had a huge lump in their throat and a scowl on their face when they begrudgingly penned the following:

We certainly hope justice is done in this case.

That would mean that if Murtha truly damaged someone’s reputation with false accusations, that he face the music in court.

The rules should be no different for public officials than for the rest of us.

But the editors, still in love with their self-absorbed, repugnant, corrupt congressman from PA-12, couldn't help but add the following salt to the wounds of those already unjustly besmirched by Murtha:

We would also hope that the courts – military and civilian – are making every effort to be certain that those who are cleared of wrongdoing deserve that treatment. War means dangerous circumstances, but even in such a setting, crimes against civilians should not be tolerated.

There was no "crime" against civilians perpetrated by U.S. Marines. Period. If there was a crime against civilians, it was perpetrated by the terrorists, who, against the Geneva Convention and the rules of war, chose to utilize civilians as human shields in time of war and during a firefight. And the sycophant editors at the Tribune-Democrat go on to offer yet another "caveat" with regard to their faux consternation of Jihad Jack:

We also understand that there is a political side to this situation – although Geary said: “There’s no political motivation whatsoever. This is purely a legal endeavor.”

Republican challenger William Russell has made Murtha’s Haditha comments his rallying cry in attempting to unseat the longtime incumbent."

Damn right there's politics involved! It takes politics to unseat a dirty politician with a scandalous record a mile long, and it's high time that a man of honor in the name of William Russell has stepped up to the challenge. The editors go on to say,

While the courts ultimately will decide Murtha’s fate concerning the lawsuit, voters will have their say in a month.

You're damned right about that. And the fawning editors at the Johnstown Democrat will more than likely be crying in their coffee once their corrupt golden calf is sent to retirement on November 4th.

***UPDATE****

Welcome Fellow Freepers! Please click here for the latest posts, including exclusive pieces by Darryl Sharratt.

MMG EXCLUSIVE: HADITHA PROSECUTIONS- We lived IT

by Darryl R. Sharratt

My wife and I protected and educated my son for eighteen years. When he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, my family and I felt secure in the belief the Corps would continue his education and maturation process. As part of the enlistment procedure all recruits take an oath ‘to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States.’ Little did we know that the judicial process within our military would deny him the Constitutional rights he took an oath to safeguard.

The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is broken. The Marine Corps investigative authority, Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS), is an organization with no oversight and operates with the impunity of the Russian KGB. In a pre- 9/11 world the UCMJ and NCIS floundered to keep judicial equilibrium within the military. Using coerced, manufactured and falsified evidence provided by the NCIS, criminal cases rarely found their way to Article 32’s and almost never to Courts Martial. Most were plea bargained into judicial obscurity. JAG officers, Junior Officers. Senior Officers and the Convening Authorities rationalized these improprieties as a means to maintain discipline within its ranks. To maintain the status quo was the final objective. The needs of the many outweigh the rights of the few. High profile cases labeled the Iron Triangle(Sgt Ray Girouard), Hamandia(the Pendleton 8) and Haditha- to name a few- are exposing the un-Constitutional operation of the UCMJ and the corrupt investigative tactics of the NCIS.

I admit I lack first-hand knowledge and evidence in the Iron Triangle and Hamandia prosecutions. Regarding Haditha, a day rarely goes by when I am not thinking and reliving the false persecution of these seven Marines, Our Haditha Marines. On 21 December 2006 my family and son were dragged into the abyss by the UCMJ and its NCIS counterpart. My son was charged with three counts of unpremeditated murder for his part in a firefight on 19 November 2005 in Haditha, Iraq.

It is hard for me to keep separate the UCMJ and NCIS—for in my mind they are one. When I think back to my son’s Article 32 hearing, those five days in July, 2007 will remain with me forever. As evidence was presented in the hearing I could not understand nor will I ever understand what we were doing there. The Marine Corps, expressly the Senior Command structure, buckled to the media and politicians. My son would have been thrown to the wolves if not for the veracity of the civilian law firm my family engaged for his defense.

Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS)

It was apparent from the testimony of NCIS Special Agent Mark Platt that the government was conducting the Haditha investigations with a guided agenda. While under cross examination SA Platt confirmed many times that he was following specific instructions from his superiors as to the path of the investigation. When asked by our defense counsel why he didn’t investigate leads which would have uncovered exculpatory evidence of innocence, SA Platt retorted he was following the orders of his superiors. When further pressured by the defense, SA Platt revealed he was investigating a murder.

Why an experienced NCIS investigator would not follow all leads in a capital investigation was the focal point of his cross examination. SA Platt’s testimony was that “I was following the instructions of my superiors.” It was apparent the NCIS was trying to uncover any evidence which would incriminate Our Haditha Marines and disregard the evidence which proved their innocence.

The government offered statements by Marines in an effort to support its version of the facts. A LCpl testified under oath that certain events in his written statement were not true and that an NCIS agent inserted these lines into the statement. The LCpl was now on record as providing two contradictory sworn statements. One under direct cross examination and the other provided by the NCIS.

The testimony of NCIS Special Agent Nadya Mannle further revealed the agenda of the NCIS. SA Mannle conducted an interview of the Iraqi witnesses. Although she spoke no Arabic, SA Mannle allowed the witnesses to gather in a group setting to answer questions. Through an interpreter a question and answer dialogue was conducted with the Iraqis. Defense lawyers grilled SA Mannle as to the policy of conducting a group interview of these witnesses. Such procedure went against all known guidelines in the interrogation process. SA Mannle could only answer that time was limited so the group interview was allowable.

The testimony gathered in this group interview by SA Mannle formed the basis of the charges filed against my son. In the Article 32 hearing, the IO LtCol Paul Ware found this testimony “unreliable and incredible.” Lt Col Ware also stated, “ the interview that resulted in the witness statements were taken by SA Mannle in a group setting, with each witness adding details and discussing the events in Arabic with one another in front of SA Mannle who does not speak Arabic.” I detail some of the key discrepancies in the Iraqi testimony as follows:

1. Khalid testified that the tall one, the one with the pistol, guarded the women and children in House 3. My son was the tallest Marine, he was the only Marine with a pistol. If Khalid’s testimony is correct, my son was guarding the women and children in House 3 and did not enter House 4 where the insurgents were killed. My son was charged with murder for the killings in House 4.

2. Nagham stated that no one moved the bodies in House 4 before the Marines arrived to take photographs. Forensic evidence clearly proves the bodies must have been moved from the location where they fell.

3. Khalid further testified he heard only “ four shots separated by a few seconds.”

(pop-pause, pop-pause, pop-pause, pop-pause) Testimony of the other witnesses revealed they (the Iraqis) recovered 11 spent shell casings from House 4. The NCIS pathology report details the trajectories of at least 7 projectiles in House 4.

4. Nagla states that the man with the pistol was in charge telling the other Marines what to do. LtCol Ware found it unbelievable that two senior Marines would subjugate themselves to a LCpl (my son, the Marine with the pistol) under these conditions.

5. Ehab states one of the insurgents was packed and about to travel to Trabeed. This contradicts Nagham who said the “family” was packed and traveling to Baghdad.

6. Khalid testifies that the Marines leaving House 4 had two AK-47’s slung on their shoulders. His account of seeing these weapons being removed from House 4 supports the Marine’s testimony that at least two of the Iraqi insurgents had AK-47’s when they were shot.

In my sons Article 32 hearing, SA Mannle stated she found this “Iraqi testimony to be truthful and believable.” My son passed a polygraph examination proving he was telling the truth!

SA Mannle would later become the lead investigator in the Haditha investigations and the Titling Agent to prefer charges against my son. Charges based solely on the testimony of these Iraqis.

A further indictment on the character of the NCIS can be garnered from the testimony of a Marine intelligence officer during the Haditha discovery phase. Marine Captain Jeffrey Dinsmore(now Major Dinsmore) testified during a deposition session he turned over evidence in the Haditha case to NCIS agents circa January, 2006. This evidence included Scan Eagle surveillance video, digital recordings of voice traffic from engaged squads in Haditha on 19 November, 2005 and power point presentations documenting the Haditha engagement. Defense attorneys filed motions to obtain this exculpatory evidence. It was discovered the evidence that Captain Dinsmore turned over to the NCIS was lost, stolen or destroyed…… Imagine that..important evidence, exculpatory evidence…in a criminal investigation being lost, stolen or destroyed while in the care of the NCIS! Thanks to the diligence of Captain Dinsmore in maintaining duplicates, the evidence would later be made part of the Article 32 investigations.

The NCIS is a civilian authority operating within the realm of the Department of the Navy. The NCIS conducts business with absolute impunity, answering only to the Secretary of the Navy. The FBI cannot respond to the unlawful acts perpetrated by NCIS agents unless directed by the SecNav. Civilian investigators have provided clear and concise documents detailing the un-Constitutional behavior of the NCIS in regards to Haditha, Hamandia and the Iron Triangle to the FBI. No action has been taken by the FBI

Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)

The Code was designed to uphold discipline within the ranks of the military. From it’s inception, the UCMJ was flawed. The writers understood the need for discipline but failed in the need to preserve the Constitutional rights of those accused. The Cox Commission opined that there is “tension between justice and discipline” within the statutes of the UCMJ. The Commission further asserted “As it now exists, if any conviction under the UCMJ were appealable to an appellate court applying the constitutional standards applicable to every other criminal justice system in the United States that conviction almost certainly would be set aside. No criminal justice system with the inherent deficiencies of the UCMJ system would survive a constitutional challenge and be permitted to adjudicate such important issues involving criminal culpability.”

Every member of the armed forces of the United States of America takes an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. The inherent rights provided by the Constitution are denied them when they enter the clutches of the UCMJ.

The UCMJ is not a court doing justice according to established principles of jurisprudence. The court-martial is regarded as the right hand of the commanding officer to aid him in the maintenance of discipline. The court martial is his agent and he controls it. “The court martial is not a court at all; it is but an agency of military command governed and controlled by the will of the commander.” In the case of Haditha, serious questions have arisen as to the extent to which unlawful command influence fueled the prosecution of Our Haditha Marines. Could the quest for a fourth star cloud the judgment of the Convening Authority? Could the need for a new weapons system allow the slanderous pronouncements of Congressman John Murtha to go unquestioned? Did the administration throw Our Haditha Marines to the wolves in order to distract attention from Abu Ghraib? Did a Time magazine article and the media influence the administration to establish a ‘shadow tribunal’ to influence the persecution of Our Haditha Marines? The Constitution of the United States established protections against these outside influences, the UCMJ is lacking in its ability to regulate them.

On 21 December, 2006 eight Marines were charged with multiple violations of the Law of War involving a firefight in Haditha, Iraq. Seven went to Article 32 hearings to determine whether the UCMJ charges could be substantiated by the evidence. Throughout the course of the Article 32 proceedings, the “evidence” procured by the NCIS was found lacking in substance. Charges were dismissed by General James Mattis in four of the Article 32 hearings. One officer was exonerated in a court-martial. Lt Col Chessani’s charges were dismissed but are currently in the appeals stage. SSgt Wuterich is presently awaiting his day in court. In the case of my son, the General dismissed the charges and declared him ‘innocent’.

The Marine Corps failed my son and his six comrades. General James Mattis failed Our Haditha Marines for allowing the Haditha fiasco to proceed beyond the investigation stage. Lt Col Paul Ware, the presiding judge in the three enlisted Article 32 hearings, was the bastion for justice in the Haditha prosecutions. In the three Article 32 hearings for Sharratt, Tatum and Wuterich, Lt Col Ware recommended to the General the charges be dismissed. Ware’s strongly worded declaration for dismissal in my son’s case drew the ire of the Senior Jag attorney advising General Mattis. Lt Col Riggs criticized Ware for being too stringent in assessing the government’s case against my son. The fact that Lt Col Ware found the Iraqi testimony to be “incredible and unbelievable” did not sit well with Riggs. “The government version is unsupported by independent evidence,” Ware wrote in an 18 page report. “To believe the government version of fasts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary.” I can’t help but wonder why General Mattis did not arrive at this same conclusion before allowing the Haditha persecutions to proceed. I truly believe outside pressures clouded the judgment of General James Mattis and coerced him to proceed with these prosecutions.

Throughout the course of the Haditha proceedings I have heard law professors, journalists and various commentators critique the so-called “Haditha massacre.”

None of them can imagine the pain and suffering Our Haditha Marine families had to endure. Knowing that our Marines were innocent yet having to endure their condemnation of our brave sons was almost intolerable. While the government’s case continued to crumble as Marine after Marine was exonerated, it became comical how they retreated from their original stances and became silent. Their silence is almost deafening.

We the families of Our Haditha Marines want to thank the American people for their support of our sons. Prayers were answered and the truth prevailed in Haditha. We understand war is a tragic occurrence. We will continue to pray for the safety of America’s military personnel.

In closing I would like to include an excerpt from a speech given by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905:

"I wish to preach, not the doctrine of the ignoble ease,

But the doctrine of the strenuous life,

The life of toil and effort, of labor and strife;

To preach the highest form of success which comes,

Not to the man who desires mere easy peace,

But to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil,

And who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph."

God Bless Our Haditha Marines

The Sharratt Family

***UPDATE****

See also, Our Journey, Not Quite Ended, by Darryl R. Sharratt.

OUR JOURNEY---Not Quite Ended

When our son, L/Cpl Justin Sharratt, was exonerated of murder charges involving a firefight in Haditha,Iraq our family was finally able to sleep. We set out to piece together our lives and make some sense as to what happened to us. Bringing Justin home seemed to be the medication our family needed. With Gods help and the support of thousands we made it through this dark period in our lives. Our family can now enjoy today, look ahead to tomorrow and plan for the future.

The golf matches between father and son. An occasional fishing trip to Ten Mile Creek and the secret fishing holes. Air-soft contests in which the former Marine out flanks his dad and always wins hands down. Our family has tried to return to normal, but Haditha still haunts us. No matter how hard we try, no matter how much we want to forgive, there are questions we need answered.

We are not seeking revenge, we are not seeking retribution, we are asking for justice. We wanted to put Haditha behind us……..we just wanted to forget and finally end the journey. In a family meeting over a month ago, we, as a family decided the answers needed to be found. It was not an easy decision. Justin still loves the United States Marine Corps. He is proud to have served this country. A Marine for life……

Yesterday, 25 September 2008, through our attorney Noah Geary, Justin has filed a civil lawsuit in Federal Court naming John Murtha as defendant. Our family believes John Murtha has the answers to the majority of our questions. In a recent article on the Defend Our Marines website Retired LtCol Colby Vokey revealed his suspicions that a former NCIS agent on Murtha’s staff leaked classified information on Haditha to the media.

How much did Murtha really know when he appeared on national television on 17 May 2006 when he called our son a “cold blooded murder?” Did his political ambitions influence his statements to the media about the events of Haditha? Did Murtha’s position as Chairman of the Sub-committee on Military Appropriations allow him to influence charging Our Haditha Marines? Did Murtha and SecNav Donald Winter participate in an Undue Command Influence scenario in regards to Haditha? And finally, can John Murtha be allowed to call United States Marines “cold blooded murderers”and not be held accountable for his slander and trashing the Constitutional rights of our son?

We are hoping a court of law will allow us to ask John Murtha these questions. Whatever the outcome of this lawsuit, our family has decided our journey cannot end until we try. I don’t know if these questions would even be allowed, but maybe, just maybe some of our questions will finally be answered.

God Bless Our Haditha Marines

Darryl, Theresa, Jaclyn, former L/Cpl Justin Sharratt

And then there were...none?

The list of marines exonerated from the Haditha incident continues to grow; and the space in which Jihad Jack Murtha can hide his big fat backside before being forced to make an apology grows slimmer and slimmer:

A military judge who has heard days of arguments over motions in the case against a Marine officer charged criminally after U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., publicly accused service members of being murderers abruptly has changed a hearing that had been scheduled for three days to one hour.

The confirmation comes from the Thomas More Law Center, which is defending Lt. Col Jeffrey Chessani.

It was just days earlier when WND reported that a military jury of seven officers had acquitted Marine 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson of all charges stemming from the same incident.

So, when's it gonna be, Jihad Jack? When are you going to take responsibility for playing judge, jury, and executioner to a group of Marines whose only crime it was to follow ROE and execute their mission?

When are you going to take back those words; words made recklessly to advance your own sorry political career; words that needlessly ruined the lives of valiant Marines defending our nation?

When, Jack Murtha? When?

Pot Meet Kettle

The DNC's pit-bullswine and all-around blowhard John P. Murtha had this to say about John McCain joking about an "IED gift" for John Stewart:

“Imagine a presidential candidate making a joke about IEDs when these kids are getting blown apart, it's outrageous!” Pennsylvania Democrat John Murtha fumes.

John McCain, of course, was a lot more civl in his response than he had to be:

“All I can say to Murtha and others is lighten up and get a life.”

Like I said, Senator McCain was a lot more civil in his response than he needed to be, or perhaps should have been. A fairer, more appropriate response to the gasbag, IMO could have gone something like this:

"Imagine a sitting member of congress pronouncing guilt of "murder in cold blood" on a platoon of Marines without any evidence or even a formal brifing, during a time of war, and giving aid and comfort to the enemy that wants them dead, all for the purposes of cheap, political gain."

So until "Jihad Jack" Murtha apologizes for becoming a recruiting tool for Al Qaeda, not to mention denying the basic civil right of presumption of innocence for those who have sworn to defend the Constitution with their very lives, then he has about as much room to talk as the space that exists between the crack of his bloated phat backside.

It's unofficial: Russell's on the ballot!

Bill Smith reports that despite efforts by the Murtha campaign along with those of two local RINO republicrats to get William Russell taken off the ballot, Col Russell reports that he has more than the required write-in ballots to put him on the November ballot as the Republican-endorsed candidate for U.S. Congress!

Read the whole thing.

So who is Donato Zucco?

As I asked in the previous post, what would lead Don Zucco, a republican, who signed a petition to get Lt. Col. William T. Russell on the ballot, to not only turn away from Russell, but to spearhead an effort to get him off of the ballot?

Could it be that Zucco is as polluted by Murtha's corruption as is anyone?

Follow the money:

Republicans play a similar game. Donato Zucco, a Republican and mayor since 1994, works closely with Murtha and state politicians, mostly Democrats, to get funding. Every six weeks he meets with 35 chief executives from Johnstown's largest companies, then goes off lobbying to Harrisburg or Washington.

Not to mention that Zucco is a regular donor to the Murtha campaign to the tune of $1000 per year (aside from playing both sides of the fence, when in the same year he donated $25,000 to the RNC).

At any rate, Mr. Zucco has turned a blind eye to decades of pork and corruption that has been the Murtha administration, an ignorance whereby judging by recent actions, has poisoned his very soul.

Just what does Murtha have on Mr. Zucco? Or, conversely, what is Mr. Zucco getting from Murtha?

Just when you think he couldn't get any lower...

The Johnstown Democrat reports:

William Russell’s campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. John Murtha could meet an untimely end.

A challenge filed in the state’s Commonwealth Court claims that Russell, a Johnstown Republican, does not have enough valid petition signatures to get his name on the April 22 primary ballot.

If Russell were deemed ineligible, that would leave Murtha – a Democrat who has served 34 years in the House – with no opposition in this year’s elections.

“Certainly, I intend to fight this,” Russell said Thursday.

A hearing is scheduled next week in Harrisburg.

Murtha’s campaign committee issued a statement saying Russell appears to have “filed a nominating petition that contained over 180 invalid signatures or unregistered voters in the 12th Congressional District” – apparently leaving him short of the 1,000 names needed.

Murtha's Big-Boss, Big-Money tentacles appears to have garnered him quite a menagerie of toadies:

The challenge was filed by two local Republicans: Former Johnstown Mayor Don Zucco and attorney Jeanne McKelvey.

Zucco said only, “There are lots of ways to support the congressman.” McKelvey could not immediately be reached.

And to add yet more slime to this already odious, foul-smelling, mix

Murtha’s committee supports the challenge: “The law states that candidates must have (the signatures of) 1,000 registered party voters to be on the election ballot. We believe that all candidates running for office should follow the law.”

That would be a good rule to live by, Jack... if you actually were honorable enough to live up to it.

As an aside, Jack... maybe it's my hearing, but I have yet to hear any apology coming from your piehole for wrongly de-faming a platoon of Marines; one who just happens to be one of your constituents.

John Murtha lecturing another regarding morals isn't only laughable, it's downright pathetic.

If this ploy succeeds, I urge all fair-minded Republicans in Washington County to write in Lt. Col. William Russell.

Jack Murtha deserves nothing less than a resounding defeat in November.

Jack Murtha: Unabashedly Porcine.

It is widely spread news that the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) at Johnstown is more or less a slush fund for Jihad Jack Murtha's perpetual re-election to PA-12's U.S. congressional seat. A poster child for government waste and the consequences of the "earmark mentality," NDIC, and Murtha's connection to it, has been the subject of continuing ethics violation investigations. Not only is Murtha so arrogant as to accept his connection to the pork-laden, waste-laden redundant bureaucratic bloat-ocracy, he's proud of it:

Van Osdol: "Congressman, what about the National Drug Intelligence Center?"

Murtha: "You're from WTAE?"

Van Osdol: "Yes, sir."

Murtha: "Nice to see you."

Van Osdol: "What are you going to do to secure funding for that, sir?"

When Van Osdol tried to keep asking questions, one of Murtha's men tried to block the television camera.

Van Osdol: "Congressman, can you respond to the criticism that people say NDIC is just a pork barrel program?"

Murtha: "No comment. How's that?"

Van Osdol: "Why don't you want to talk about that program, sir?"

Murtha: "Just talk to them about it. Talk to NDIC."

Van Osdol: "We've talked to NDIC."

Murtha: "What did they tell you?"

Van Osdol: "They say you are the man who keeps it going."

Murtha: "That's right. You got that right."

Heh. Straight from the horse's pig's mouth.
PA-12, there's a reason that politicians, like diapers, need to be changed.

Why Russell has more than a chance to win!

There are those who believe that Lt. Col. William Russell has no chance to win against the Gasbag from Johnstown, Jack P(utz). Murtha (D- Al Qaeda).

To that I politely say, HOGWASH.

While Diana Irey, Murtha's most formidable opponent to date, garnered 39 percent of the vote and fell short of victory, certain circumstances exist today that weren't in play at the time of Irey's candidacy that play well in Russell's favor:

1. Haditha. The truth about Haditha had not yet come to light. There is no longer an argument regarding the fact that the Haditha Marines had *NOT* committed "cold blooded murder," as Murtha had so loudly proclaimed; and to this day Murtha refuses to apologize for and to retract his unfounded accusations.

One of the Marines that Murtha wrongfully accused of cold blooded murder, Justin Sharrat, is in actuality one of PA-12's own constituents. There is a heavy concentration of military personnel, both active and retired, in PA-12. The truth about Haditha, especially after having been brought to light not only by Darryl and Justin Sharrat, but also by the highly decorated candidate, Lt. Col. William Russell, shall sprout some mighty stout legs.

There is no honorable military person who, in good conscience, can vote for an ex-Marine who sold one of their own down the river. Just ask John Kerry.

2. William Russell is retired military.

While Diana Irey was bright, knowledgeable, and in every way competent, Lt. Colonel Russell will add yet another dimension of credibility to the mix that will appeal to PA-12's military voters. Not only is Russell retired military, his record is beyond reproach, and Russell exemplifies all that is honorable in a veteran; a stark contrast to his incumbent opponent.

3. Murtha continues to be corrupt.
His earmarks and other "boss politician" antics, while certainly bringing pork in the area to buy votes (this, being the latest example), at the same time have gotten additional scrutiny that had not been brought to bear, even in local media, until relatively recently.

Due to these factors, do not lose sight of the notion that now, more than ever, the Murtha Machine is a corrupt, and yet vulnerable machine that could well be on life support at this juncture, and that Lt. Colonel William Russell, via his weapon of honor and righteousness, will be the one to put this monster in retirement mode, once and for all.