Murtha Thumbs His Nose at the Constitution!

In an at-once shameful and shameless display of tyrannical authority:



PA-12--America has had enough of this scum.

Send him back to his front porch in Johnstown, where the worst he could do is to yell at the kids to keep off his lawn.

MURTHA MUST GO!!

Murtha's Tentacles of Corruption--Extending to "Nonprofits"?

Now Murtha, Inc. is getting into the charity bizz...

CBS News has learned the FBI is investigating a little-known not-for-profit organization called Commonwealth Research Institute. It's located, like a lot of Rep. John Murtha's, D-Penn., pet projects, in his hometown, Johnstown, Penn.

Commonwealth gets the same benefits as the Salvation Army or any other charity: It doesn't have to pay taxes. But its line of work may be surprising. It's a defense contractor.

"It certainly raises a question," says Dean Zerbe, a former top Senate investigator. He questions Commonwealth's tax exempt status, saying it seems to do business just like any for-profit defense contractor.

"There’s a lot of tests to being a charity, and just saying, ‘Well I’m doing research paid for by the government," said Zerbe, " - if that were the case, I would have 10,000 companies that would tomorrow be a charity."

If Commonwealth were not a charity, it could owe roughly one-third of its profits in taxes. That could add up to millions, on more than $45 million dollars in government contracts. But it pays nothing.

Okay--here comes the juicy part:

Documents show when Commonwealth was formed, company officials touted their connections to "the local Congressman" Murtha.

And, in grand "Murtha fashion,"

For the biggest hint as to what Commonwealth is all about, it may help to know something about its parent company, Concurrent Technologies. Concurrent is another defense contractor in Johnstown, also registered as a charity at the same address. And, with the help of Murtha and The PMA Group, a lobby firm that's also under FBI investigation, Concurrent has gotten a billion dollars-plus in defense contracts and earmarks.

Concurrent employees have also given Murtha’s campaign over $95,000 in donations since 2002.

This isn't the first time Commonwealth has been involved in controversy. Back in 2007, the charity mysteriously paid $26,000 to a Pentagon official who was in between positions at the Pentagon and waiting to be confirmed for a top Air Force procurement position. The official admitted to a Washington Post reporter that he hadn’t done any work to earn the Commonwealth payment. Less than three weeks after The Post published an article on the controversy, the official committed suicide.

The incident kicked off an investigation at the Pentagon's Inspector General’s office. CBS News has learned that review has been put on hold in light of other active federal investigations into entities connected to John Murtha. Last spring Commonwealth was subpoenaed in a federal investigation into a government defense contract it received that is worth up to $45 million.

You remember Concurrent Technologies. We reported onMurtha's connections with Concurrent here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

As a matter of fact, we first reported on Murtha's associations with Commonwealth slush fund Research Instutute here.

With Murtha having outlived his usefulness to the leftist media in giving them cover to try to destroy the Iraq war effort, The MSM finally seems to be getting around to be getting up to speed with the corruption that emanates from the office of Jihad Jack Murtha.

But then again, all folks had to do in the first place was to check with us.

Yet Even MORE Corruption?

We alerted you here and here regarding Murtha's dealings with the Kuchera Industries, a local PA-12 beneficiary of Murtha's largesse, as well as a heavyweight donor to Murtha's campaign coffers.

Well, get ready for yet another corrupt company with Jihad Jack Murtha's greasy-grimy fingerprints all over it (emphases mine):

Possible Shakeup At Firm Tied

To John Murtha

Washington-Based PMA Group Has Close, Controversial Ties To Congressman

Scott MacFarlane

Thursday, January 29, 2009 – updated: 4:47 pm EST January 29, 2009

WASHINGTON -- WJACTV.com has learned a Washington lobbying powerhouse with close connections to Johnstown Rep. John Murtha is undergoing a shakeup.Its founder, a longtime Murtha aide whose business dealings with the Congressman have attracted scrutiny, could be on his way out.

The PMA Group, founded by former Murtha staffer Paul Magliocchetti, might soon part ways with Magliocchetti. Patrick Dorton, a PMA Group spokesman, told WJACTV.com, "There are ongoing discussions inside the firm about its future business structure."Multiple sources told WJACTV.com PMA and Magliocchetti could soon part ways.Several government watchdog groups have criticized the connection between PMA Group's campaign donations and lucrative earmarks secured by Murtha. According to Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, PMA Group and its clients contributed $381,000 to Murtha's campaign and political action committee between 2005 and 2008. During the same period of time, reports show PMA secured at least $95 million in federal earmark money.

It would appear that Kuchera and PMA may be merely the tip of the iceberg:

A Jan. 24 edition of Politico newspaper reports, "According to two sources, in recent months FBI agents have begun looking into Murtha's earmarks and his relationship with lobbying firms and contractors that get those earmarks."

A spokeswoman for the United States Attorney's office for Western Pennsylvania confirms federal agents raided the Kuchera properties last week. But she would neither confirm nor deny whether Murtha and the PMA Group are also under investigation.

And of course, as with anytime Jihad Jack Murtha is asked to be held accountable for anything, the response is the same:

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

How much longer, PA-12??? How much longer?

***UPDATE****

It appears that PMA Group has its own PAC, with employees, big-wigs and possibly spouses as main contributors.

Boss Murtha: Yet More Corruption?

Why does Corruption follow Jihad Jack Murtha like flies follow garbage?

Agents Raid Defense Firm with

Murtha Ties

By Paul Singer

January 22, 2009, 5:58 p.m.

Media outlets in Pennsylvania are reporting that federal agents have raided the offices of a defense contractor with close ties to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.).

The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat reported Thursday afternoon that Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service agents raided the offices of Kuchera Defense Systems and Kuchera Industries in Windber, Pa.

Murtha has provided millions of dollars worth of earmarks for the company, and company employees have provided tens of thousands of dollars for his campaign.

Surprise? I think not.

It's no accident that Murtha made the top of CREW's list for most corrupt congressman.

As a matter of fact, when it comes to corruption, it seems that nobody tops him.

If there was a superhero of corrupt congressman, there is no doubt in my mind that Jihad Jack Murtha would be its model.

We're Not Going Away Jack...

Pork Over Principle won again.

But you know, Jack, the principle of the thing remains that you have yet to answer for your abuse of power. You have yet to answer for your crime of slander against the Haditha Marines, and against Justin Sharratt, in particular.

We here at Murtha Must Go will not rest until you are 1. Unseated from your seat, or 2. made to do a well-deserved perp walk.

Rest assured, Congressman John Murtha, that we here at Murtha Must Go!! will continue to be watching you, and chronicling your mis-steps and mis-deeds.

So, don't get too comfortable and arrogant, Jack Murtha.

Just remember, Pride goeth before the fall.

That is all.

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.

Defend Our Heroes

William Russell's Latest Ad:



For more information or to help, go here!

From Prosecution to Persecution?

At what price, saving face?

The Murtha-inspired, media trumped so-called "Haditha Massacre" has had its share of casualties long after the event had transpired. Eight Marines, whose only crime was to follow Rules of Engagement (ROE) and to execute their mission of weeding out terrorist elements in the town of Haditha, have had their reputations and their honor dragged through the mud, not to mention having had the "honor" of treatment that would make Guantanamo detainees look like they're being put up at the Waldorf Astoria in comparison.

On Tuesday, Military Judge Colonel Steven Folsom, USMC made the right decision when he saw through the undue command influence and dismissed all charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani without prejudice.

Said Richard Thompson, resident and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, who has been defending Chessani,

“This case has turned into the persecution of one of the Marine’s finest combat commanders. LtCol Chessani devoted his life to the Corps and his Nation. He served three tours of duty in Iraq, away from his wife and children in defense of us all. In their attempt ‘to get’ Chessani, prosecutors granted immunity to seventeen Marines, including one they had charged with murder. Still they failed. Sadly, in the process they have destroyed the career of an outstanding officer. Enough is enough.”

WND just had a story published today that Chessani rightfully planned to sue Congressman John Murtha over his slanderous pronouncement of the Haditha Marines guilt of murder in cold blood. I wouldn't be surprised at all if there is more "undue influence" coming from Murtha to pressure prosecutors to make an example out of Chessani. Murtha, after all, is in charge of defense appropriations in the House and is certainly in a position to exert such influence. Given Murtha's long history of what was, in my opinion, influence peddling in the form of a legion of earmarks and defense contracts, there is in my opinion nothing too low for the King of Pork to resort to save his sorry fat backside from the consequences of his actions.

The military powers that be, along with the politicians that be, know that the Haditha prosecutions will be considered by historians as one of the largest travesties of justice in military history; a time when the interests of politicians and military leaders were put far ahead of the interests of justice itself. Their pitiful attempts to continue to prop up a false set of charges against one of the great military leaders in the Corps as a means of salvaging face serves neither the honor of the military nor the interests of justice.

It is nothing less than reprehensible.

Lots more on the background of this case here, here and here.

Read more on Murtha's role in this travesty here, here, and here.

With no place for the cockroach to run...

As expected, charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani have been dropped in the Haditha case, leaving only one marine with pending charges, Sgt. Frank Wuterich.

This has been a kangaroo court from the get-go, predicated on a story from Time Magazine whose source was an insurgent. Representative John Murtha (D., Pa-12), seeing a chance to get himself in the spotlight so as to fulfill his ambitions to be appointed House Majority Leader, latched on to the story like a monkey with a hand in a cookie jar, and bloviated on national TV, saying he had his information from "the highest level." This of course, was untrue, since Murtha went on Charlie Gibson before he was given any official military briefing on the matter, and came out and virtually convicted Haditha marines of cold blooded murder:

There was no coverup. There was no "massacre." Everything Murtha said in the Gibson interview was proven to be a complete set of falsehoods.

The day is coming when Murtha will no longer be able to redeploy himself to the nearest elevator.

The day is coming when Congressman John P. Murtha will have to answer for his reckless accusations made in the name of his own sorry political gain, that destroyed the lives of 8 Marines, who were fighting for their very lives in Haditha, and had to continue fighting for their lives upon their stateside return.

John Murtha's days of being the political boss of PA-12, the House Appropriations Committee on Defense, and other positions of largesse and prestige are numbered.

John Murtha has utilized the excuse that "the investigation is ongoing" as a means for cover from his having to answer for his actions.

I hold John Murtha personally responsible for laying a dubious cover of deceit under which the Democrat party was able to engage its anti-war, anti-troop, and anti-American pogrom, under which our enemies in Iraq and elsewhere became emboldened to carry on the fight much longer than they otherwise would have; in the process, killing more and more of our American and allied women and men than would have otherwise been the case.

Yes, it is my opinion that John Murtha has blood on his hands, and needs to answer for his misdeeds.

As the founding editor of this blog, I call on Congress to investigate John Murtha on exactly what he "knew" and when he "knew it" before coming out with his Haditha accusations and declarations of and implications of guilt. I call on Congress to investigate John Murtha of ethics violations and criminal charges in denying the Haditha Marines their Constitutionally-guaranteed right to the presumption of innocence, and to censure and strip Murtha of any committee assignments, and in turn demand his resignation from Congress.

My dear readers, as is evident by Murtha's long history of corruption, and now his foray into slander of innocents for political gain, it is more apparent than ever that now is the time that MURTHA MUST GO!!

Never Mind!!

Is that what John Murtha will say upon hearing this news?

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — A court martial has acquitted a US Marine for his role in the deaths of 24 civilians in Haditha in Iraq in 2005, the sixth man to be exonerated in the affair.

Lieutenant Andrew Grayson, 27, was declared "not guilty on all charges" by a jury, said a spokesman for the Camp Pendleton military base in southern California where the hearing started on May 28.

Grayson had been charged with making false statements and attempting to fraudulently separate from the Marine Corps. He was also charged with obstruction of justice, but the military judge dismissed this charge Tuesday.

I phoned Jack Murtha's office this morning promptly at 8am (EDT) to ask if there would be a forthcoming retraction or apology, but the staffer who answered the phone call appeared clueless about Haditha, much less whether Jihad Jack would issue an apology.

Today's news harkens back to the gasbag's pronouncement of guilt that fateful day of May, 2006, without any official briefing, all to advance his own sorry political career:

Notice when Murtha proclaimed, "I know there was a coverup someplace."

Notice that Murtha said, "The commandant didn't say it was murder, but what was it?"

(It was called following Rules of Engagement (ROE), Congressman).

Notice when Murtha said to Charlie Gibson, "Don't make excuses for the military!"

But also notice that when Murtha is called to task and is called to account, he always has excuses for himself:


Although a dunce, at least Emily Litella had the humility to admit she was wrong.

Murtha, it seems, needs a refresher course of what it means to be a Marine.

The list of Marines waiting to be exonerated in the Haditha case grows slimmer and slimmer.

Will Jihad Jack Murtha, a veteran Marine, have the honor to admit he was wrong, apologize, resign, and/or make reparations to the Marines whose lives were ruined as a result of his political ambitions run amok?

It would be advisable not to hold one's breath in anticipation of the answer to that question.

Murtha's Tentacles of Corruption run deep in PA-12

"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it"

-William Pitt the Younger, The Earl of Chatham and British Prime Minister from 1766 to 1778

Nowhere does this phrase ring with more clarity and truth than in PA-12, and in no heart more-so than the soul-less Jack P. Murtha. After making the above post, I took the liberty to telephone Lt. Col. (ret) William T. Russell and get his take on the slimy she-nanigans afoot to remove him from the ballot to challenge the perennial political boss of PA-12. What I found was nothing less than nauseating.

As the Johnstown Democrat stated,

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

In what was an ominous statement that could have otherwise been uttered by a Stepford wife,

Zucco said only, “There are lots of ways to support the congressman.”

Aside from being totally non-sensical, what could drive a former Republican mayor, one who actually signed the petition to put Russell on the ballot, to initiate a petition to recall the ballot? Zucco reportedly lives across the street from Murtha. What kind of quid pro quo would make Zucco turn tail and not only run away from Russell, but attempt to derail the nomination of a viable candidate from his own party?

The answer, my dear readers, is found in the climate of fear created over three decades of immoral, corrupt, political powerbroking in PA-12 that would make the likes of Don Vito Corleone seem like Albert Schweitzer in comparison.

The history of corruption that has been Murtha's decades-long tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, time and time-again chronicled on this blog, has resulted not in a constituency representative of a free people, but rather a fiefdom of serfs afraid that any action against their liege would turn into certain repercussions by a nefarious network that could easily be labeled the Murtha Crime Syndicate.

Rather than utilizing his office in a manner befitting a public servant, Jack Murtha has displayed a clear pattern of abuses that has allowed him to cleave onto power just as surely as the legendary hydra clung onto a sinking ship as its hapless captives drowned.

It just so happens that Murtha's corruption has bought the allegiance of nearly half of the Republican party structure in PA-12, not to mention countless professionals who are afraid to sign a public petition, or be on a list of contributors to a contender, lest they face retribution at a workplace in which Murtha's largesse has been a benefactor. William Russell recounted a number of occasions of talking to professionals who would like nothing more than to see Murtha go, but at the same time are afraid to be publicly seen supporting an opponent.

PA-12's allegiance to Jack Murtha, while certainly bringing about a booty of baubles and beads, has at the same time left them captive to the whims and fancies of a bald-faced, ruthless tyrant.

The venerable Thomas Jefferson once acutely observed, “A government afraid of it’s citizens is a Democracy. Citizens afraid of government is tyranny!”

It is time that the citizens of PA-12 renounce this travesty of government that has been the Murtha tenure in the U.S. Congress. It is time for men of character to stand up once and for all and declare that the emperor has no clothes, and once and for all break free of the fiefdom resultant of decades of greed and corruption.

Good citizens of PA-12. It is time to cast off the golden-fleeced shackles of servitude and to once again restore honor to your seat in the House of Representatives.

Good citizens of PA-12, Murtha Must Go!!

WIll Murtha Now Apologize?

The investigations have been finalized. There was no "massacre" in Haditha; and none of the Marines involved in the incident will face murder charges.

by Nathaniel R. Helms

December 31, 2007 -- The Marine Corps has now acknowledged that none of the Marines charged with criminal offenses for their actions at Haditha, Iraq committed murder. Lieutenant General Samuel Helland’s decision to dismiss charges of unpremeditated murder against Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich lay to rest specious allegations by Time Magazine reporter Tim McGirk and Congressman John Murtha that a My Lai-style massacre occurred in Haditha on November 19, 2005.

A Marine Corps spokesman said Monday that Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich will face trial on charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice for his role in the debacle that followed an Al Qaeda led attack on a squad of 12 Marines.

Lt Gen Helland, the final arbiter in the matter, dismissed twelve charges of unpremeditated murder, and separate charges of soliciting another to commit an offense and making a false official statement. His decision removes the onus that war crimes were committed by any of the American Marines who fought in the day-long battle for the strategic city.

Attorneys Neil Puckett and Mark Zaid, in Washington, D.C., co-counsels for SSgt Wuterich, responded:

“The good news is that SSgt Wuterich (and all of the Marines, for that matter), have been forever cleared of murder charges. That means that there is (and never was) any evidence to support Congressman Murtha’s and Time magazine’s allegations of these Marines killing Iraqis 'in cold blood.'

“The bad news is that the extensive pretrial investigation and legal analysis conducted by an experienced military judge was essentially ignored. It is always disappointing when professional military prosecutors profess to want to do the right thing by setting up the system to work, and then ignore its results because they refuse to give Marines under attack in combat the benefit of the doubt that they were responding according to their training. We are confident that a military jury will acquit SSgt Wuterich of all remaining charges, because he is, in fact, not guilty.”

Congressman Murtha: All Marines involved in the Haditha incident have been cleared of the charge of MURDER. You, sir, accused them of cold-blooded MURDER; without the benefit of trial, without even having received an official briefing on the matter.

Congressman John P. Murtha:

We, the writers and editors at MURTHA MUST GO!! call on you to apologize for impugning the honor of these Marines. Furthermore, we call on you to resign from the office of trust which you currently hold.

If you hold any shred of dignity as once proudly serving in the Corps, it shouldn't take a call like the one above to lead you to take those actions.

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.