To Our Dear Readers...Our Final Post

If you're visiting this blog today, you have no doubt heard or read that John Murtha has died.

We at Murtha Must Go!! feel sorrow for the family of Congressman John Murtha and extend our condolences. It is never easy to lose a loved one; we wish them well, and it is our hope that they will not take the remainder of this post personally against them.

It gives me no pleasure to write the following; but since May 21st, 2006, this blog has stood as a record of the type of public servant Congressman Murtha was; and it is important, therefore, for purposes of the integrity of this blog, to keep the record straight.

It is for this reason that I close with this:

While we indeed do extend heartfelt condolences to the family of John Murtha, at the same time, we extend our condolences to the taxpayers whose money, in our opinion, John Murtha usurped and squandered in his efforts to seal his stranglehold on power, to build publicly-funded monuments to himself, and to line his own campaign war chest.

We extend our condolences to our troops, who will never receive an apology for John Murtha's decision to label their mission in Iraq a failure, as a means of cementing his own political fortune with the far-left power structure in congress and their benefactors; thus opening the door to years of badmouthing their mission and/or outright verbal sabotage by high ranking democrat officials.

But most of all, we extend our deepest condolences to the Haditha Marines and their loving families, who will now never receive a formal apology (at least in this lifetime) for their sacred honor being besmirched by Murtha when he told the bald-faced lie about the 'massacre' at Haditha that never happened.

There are people in this world who leave as their legacy an example of how to live their lives in service to others.

Others, like Congressman John P. Murtha, leave as their legacy an example of how not to do it.

As twitter compatriot @wilsonpd stated, "... and may God forgive him for his treachery and perfidy here on earth. Amen!"

And, Amen.

Leo Pusateri
Founder and editor, Murtha Must Go!!

Oh How The "Mighty" Have Fallen...

Could the "P" for "Power" turn into a "P" for "Pissant?"

WASHINGTON — So powerful was Representative John P. Murtha at one time that he used to put up billboards in his Western Pennsylvania district declaring that “the P is for Power.” Few in Congress dared disagree: he doled out or withheld billions in federal money each year for lawmakers’ pet projects, better known as earmarks.

Now, however, a string of federal criminal investigations of contractors or lobbyists close to Mr. Murtha, the top Democrat on the defense appropriations subcommittee, are threatening to undermine his backroom clout.

In the weeks since the news that prosecutors had raided the offices of the PMA Group — a lobbying firm founded by a former Murtha associate that became a gateway to his office and his biggest source of campaign money — about two dozen rank-and-file Democrats have risked his wrath by calling for a House ethics investigation of the matter. One Democrat has even foresworn seeking earmarks for the military contractors in his district because of ethical concerns about the process.

Jack "Pissant" Murtha--once the anti-war, anti-America kooks' dearest darling, for ostensibly giving the democrats in congress and in the Senate cover to be able to bang the "defeat at all costs!" drum, has now outlived his usefulness.

By the time this is over, ol' Jack "Pissant" Murtha will be lucky to get his dog to play with him

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Jihad Jack Murtha: Fashionably Corrupt.

Even liberal-leaning Esquire Magazine can't stand the stench, calling Murtha "..one of the "10 worst" incumbents in the Republic."

While the majority of Keystone State races get simple capsule endorsements, there's one PA lawmaker who gets singled out for particular attention. And that's U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-12th, who makes the magazine's list of the "10 Worst" incumbents in the Republic.

Murtha makes the list for his "breathtaking earmarks," for his Johnstown-based district ($100 million a year), and for his opposition to ethics reform in the House, which he labeled "total crap."

Congratulations, Jack. First you solidified your bonafides as a cheap opportunist with making the most corrupt politician in CREW's Top Ten; now you've made Esquire.

Hey PA-12... you embarrassed yet?

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

A World of Political Hurt...

...is on its way to visit Jack Murtha.

I have it on good word that Justin Sharrat, one of the now-exonerated Haditha Marines, along with his father Darryl Sharrat, will be filming a segment on Friday with Sean Hannity to be played on Sunday's Hannity's America!

Set your TiVos for what will surely be an enlightening interview; the likes of which should send shivers down what's left of the spine of Jack Murtha, who will be discovering first-hand the concept of karma.

Sucks to be you, Jack.

Murtha--The Pork King!

When it comes to nabbing pork hard-earned taxpayer money and giving it to cronies, Murtha remains king!

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Appropriations defense panel, has secured the most earmarked dollars in the 2008 military spending bill, followed closely by the panel’s ranking member Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.).

Even though Young secured 52 earmarks, worth $117.2 million — and co-sponsored at least $27 million worth of others — Murtha’s 48 earmarks amount to a total of $150.5 million, according to a database compiled by the watchdog organization Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS).

The House is expected to take up the $459.6 billion defense appropriations bill Friday. It contains 1,337 earmarks, costing $3.07 billion, which is less than half the number and value of earmarks in last year’s bill.

Keith Ashdown of TCS said, however, that the sum is derived from only the earmarks that the panel disclosed at the back of the bill’s report. He expects to find undisclosed projects as well.

[snip]

Murtha, the defense industry’s darling, has been known throughout his tenure on the defense panel to shell out a large number of earmarks. His biggest earmark in the bill is $23 million for the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), a move that sparked a fierce fight with Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), who earlier this year voted in a private meeting to strip Murtha’s earmark.

The Bush administration requested $16 million to shut down the center, which is in Murtha’s district, because it replicated the work of a similar center.

Murtha’s second highest earmark is for $15 million for a military molecular medicine initiative.

Young has several requests valued at $5 million for projects such as ballistic missile range safety technology, the Common Aero Vehicle (another missile program) and rapid-response counter-measures to chemical and biological weapons.

Nothing to see here! NO VICTORY HERE!

Congressman John Murtha (Defeat--PA) on Sunday dismissed the notion by two long time Iraq war critics that the Iraq war was making a turn for the better:

"I dismiss it at as rhetoric," said US Representative John Murtha, a former marine, congressional heavyweight on military matters, and outspoken Iraq War critic.

"I don't know where they were staying. I don't know what they saw. But I know this: that it's not getting better," Murtha said on CNN television.

"It's over-optimist. It's an illusion," the Pennsylvania lawmaker continued

When it gets down to it, what else can Jihad Jack say? Ever since November, 2005, as a means of trying to make himself the darling of the kook anti-war, anti-American left in hopes of grabbing the majority leader position in the House, Murtha has hitched his wagon to the defeatist star.

He can accept nothing but the unconditional surrender of the United States to third world thugs and savages.

Pretty sorry, isn't it, when a decorated Marine must hope against hope that the mission in which his Marine brethren are engaged, in which they have shed blood for, will be a failure.

There are few, if any things in this world more pathetic than that.

What a sorry, pathetic man Jack Murtha is!

A Murtha Earmark--up close and personal-like.

Murtha's "mystery earmark" saga has jogged the memory of Uncorrelated's Dave Calder of a similar earmark mystery that he encountered, that seemed to have Jack Murtha's grubby little paw prints all over it.

Read the whole story.

The Poster Child for Earmark Reform...

Who's the go-to guy when an editorial board needs an example of why we need earmark reform in Congress?

Well, four out of five editorial boards polled voted for our good-ol' self-serving gasbag Jack Murtha. Like the Adrian, Michigan Daily Telegram, for instance:

Lawmakers have grown skilled at hiding these projects. Murtha, for example, waited until five weeks after the deadline before attaching his requests to an intelligence authorization bill. And, despite promises of greater accountability, the number of earmarks so far this year already had hit 32,684 earlier this month. That’s 75 requests for each House member.

Good ol Jihad Jack--when it comes to corruption, nobody delivers like him!

So tell us how you really feel :)

From a letter to the editor at the Pittsburgh Tribune:

Treason time?

Friday, July 20, 2007

Your editorial about surrender in Iraq was a disgrace ("The war in Iraq," July 15 and PghTrib.com). Withdrawal from Iraq would have catastrophic consequences.

So now you join forces with the traitor Murtha to attack President Bush: We have not been attacked by our enemies in over five years. The economy is booming. We now have a responsible Supreme Court. Yes, Bush is doing a lousy job.

You advised people not to vote last November and you see the result. Now you want to surrender and betray our troops.

You are traitors like Murtha, Pelosi, Reid and Kennedy, and you all deserve the justice due for treason.

William Overdorff
Pennsbury Village

Actually, William, I feel the same way. Hopefully PA-12 voters will follow your lead in '08, when it's time to put the self-serving gasbag out to pasture.

Fat Cat Murtha Bilks Taxpayers, Enriches self, friends..

This continues to tell the tale of Murtha's less-than-storied, self-serving political career. Get fat campaign donations, then grease the palms of his donors with fat contracts--if they build in PA-12.

History again repeats itself (via Katie Favassa):

REP. FLAKE: This amendment would strike funding for the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure. The center is to receive $1 million in taxpayer funding in this bill. When searching on the web my staff and I were unable to find the center's web site. I'm not sure whether the center currently exists or whether this earmark creates the center. I would appreciate that the sponsor of this earmark [Rep. John Murtha (D-PA)] would clear that up. All the bill says is it funds $1 million for the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure in Pennsylvania. However, when you look at the certification letter that each member now, according to our earmark rules is required to submit, you see that the earmark is actually going to the Concurrent Technology Corporation based in Jonestown, Pennsylvania….

REP. FLAKE: I'm wondering in the report that accompanied the bill, it mentioned that the earmark was to go to the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructures. But the certification letter says that it's going to go to that but the earmark should actually go to Concurrent Technologies Corporation. Which is it, and if it is to Concurrent Technologies, why it isn't listed?

REP. VISCLOSKY (D-IN), ENERGY AND WATER SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: It's my understanding it will go to the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure.

REP. FLAKE: Does that center currently exist?

REP. VISCLOSKY: At this time I do not know. But if it does not exist the monies could not go to it.

REP. FLAKE: We were told in this process early on by the chairman of the Appropriation Committee that a different process was needed, that the earmarks should be added later in conference and not now because the Appropriation's Committee couldn't vet or scrub these earmarks well enough. I would submit this is a perfect example of that … I would submit that this one should be [stricken] as well when the chairman of the relevant subcommittee can't tell us if this center even exists. We don't know if it even exists…

REP. FLAKE: Yet, we have the report that comes with the bill that doesn't even mention Concurrent Technologies, just mentions this center as if it already existed, we don't know if it does. We can't find any information on it. Apparently we can't even get that information from the Appropriations Committee.”

Actually, Murtha did one better. He got a political tit-for-tat from one of his buddies for a company that by all accounts didn't even exist. When one follows the money, however, one does get an explanation:

UPDATE: I failed to report last night that a certificate filed with the requested funds says the money is actually earmarked to Concurrent Technologies Corporation, a nonprofit technological consulting firm. A brief search of campaign finance records shows CTC President and CEO Daniel R. DeVos, of alternately Central City and Johnstown, Pa. has contributed $7,000 to Murtha's reelection campaign since April 2002.

And for those of you who actually thought you were voting for ethics reform when you elected a democrat-controlled congress:

Despite the money's uncertain destination, the House rejected Flake's measure to strike the funds, 326-98. And the Visclosky bill also sailed through, 312-112.

Yeah. One more reason why congress needs more of our money like a junkie needs more crack. And yet one more reason why Murtha Must Go!!

Can Murtha Be Impeached?

An interesting, and shall I say, appropriate question!

William Teach has more on this at Pirate's Cove!



(graphic courtesy of Pirate's Cove, via Boot Murtha)

So many earmarks, so little time, eh Jack?

So says the Washington Times:

Jack Murtha, venture capitalist

Funny how attempts at congressional ethics reform keep running into roadblocks like Rep. Jack Murtha. The Pennsylvania Democrat and chair of the House defense appropriations subcommittee is best known in this context as the man who once called the ethics package "total crap." He represents an economically depressed corner of southwest Pennsylvania whose largest city, Johnstown, has lost 5 percent of its population since 1990. Not even considering the man's unique personal qualities, one senses where this earmark story is headed.

"Murtha has almost — but not quite — single-handedly created a new economy in his district," concludes Roll Call this week in an overview of the lawmaker's earmarking activities. Frequently, the money "is for startups that essentially would not be in business were it not for Murtha's largesse." In other cases, the pattern shows Mr. Murtha inserting an earmark, after which a company opens a Johnstown office, which in many cases then goes neglected, or never quite grows. In the case Roll Call highlights, an Indiana, Pa., groundbreaking for Rockville, Md.-based Aeptec Microsystems is all glory at the outset. Years later, the building is nearly unoccupied a month after its opening. Meanwhile, the firm's federal contracts, as secured through Mr. Murtha's earmarks, mushroom.

"The pattern that appears dominant is that the companies' federal contract dollars expand shortly after they open an office in the 12th Congressional {bullet}istrict — though it is not entirely clear how much of their work is actually conducted in the district," the newspaper concludes.

With Murtha Inc. calling the shots on defense appropriations, some are chortling that he fancies himself a kind of taxpayer-backed venture capitalist operating in service to his job-hungry district. To judge by the fruits, though, the unindicted "Abscam" coconspirator could not be considered a very successful "venture capitalist." We'd stick with a more traditional label like pork-barreller.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Yeah. "Most ethical congress" my ass. You picked a gem, PA-12.

Murtha: Surrender now!

And we better be fast about it, before we actually emerge victorious! After all, when you've been banking your whole political career on the notion that we must lose in Iraq at all costs, what else can one do, eh Jack?

Murtha Insists: Redeploy Out of Iraq Now

June 3 (LPAC)—"There's a bloodbath now that is going on" in Iraq and the only solution is for the U.S. to redeploy out of the country, declared Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa), who has one of the most accomplished military records in the U.S. Congress. Murtha also demonstrated today on the ABC News show, "This Week," that he is one of very few elected officials with a competent and full intelligence picture on Iraq.

...With a competent and full intelligence picture??? Is that so?

U.S. general says troop surge has led to progress in Iraq

By Aamer Madhani

Chicago Tribune

(MCT)

WASHINGTON - With the last month marking one of the deadliest periods for U.S. troops since the start of the war, the second-ranking U.S. military commander in Iraq said Thursday that some progress has been made in the early going of the troop buildup.

Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander of multinational troops in Iraq, said that overall sectarian violence is down, attacks in volatile Anbar province have been cut by half and nearly 18,000 enemy fighters have been captured this year.

"We've made small progress here. We have not made the progress that I think is necessary yet, but I hope over the summer that we will continue to make progress," Odierno said.

For the moment, however, any gains on the security front have been overshadowed by the American death toll.

At least 122 U.S. service members were killed in May, making it the deadliest month of the war since November 2004, when 137 troops were killed in action as the military fought some of the most pitched battles of the war in the embattled city of Fallujah. Two others U.S. soldiers who were captured in an attack earlier this month remain missing.

This increase in casualties, however are expected, since our soldiers are actually confronting and taking out the bad guys:

The increased casualties are of course lamentable, and for the individuals and families involved, they bring a heavy price. But exposure to violence is the nature of combat, and battles are fought to win. We are seeing benefits that will help bring us victory.

1. An increase in actionable intelligence from residents. The population sees that the Coalition is sharing in their hardships, that we are living among them and so a level of trust with local communities is developing that had not been there before.

2. With this increase in actionable intelligence naturally come more successful actions, in the form of raids, ambushes, attacks, and searches. The liberation of 41 prisoners from an AQ prison last month is one excellent example out of many that have been reported, and many more that have not been reported. This increase in successful operations in turn degrades the enemy's capabilities and effectiveness.

3. The press has reported the terrorists are moving to different areas outside of Baghdad, where the violence has picked up. What is not being widely reported, but is unclassified, is that in response, Coalition commanders have moved more troops into those same areas to counter the insurgents' operations. The increase in violence in these spots is a sign that they have not eluded us by fleeing., rather than that violence is really spreading.

4. Because the Coalition has moved into these COPs or JSSs with the ISF elements, trust has grown between the two forces. Any combat veteran with tell you that participating in combat with another person is the quickest way to build a deep and dedicated relationship, which in turn leads to a corresponding strong trust. This trust is not just a trust between units, it is a trust between individuals, which is the strongest trust, that compels a person to do anything for his friend. This in turn makes for more effective missions.

5. Some in the ISF that have been working with the bad guys due to a lack of Coalition presence now have, for lack of a better term, "supervision". It is now harder for these bad apples to slip away and participate in passing intelligence to, and participating in, operations with the enemy, death squads, militias, and in insurgent activities. It is informative to note how the secretarian violence has dramatically decreased since the start of the surge. This is a result of the surge, not of some random phenomenon.

6. An increase in the raw numbers of US and Iraqi Security Forces in Baghdad means more soldiers per capita in Baghdad. With more soldiers come more contact with friendly Iraqis, neutral Iraqis, and insurgents. So while the vital trust is built, the vital enemy contact is made; and so more good is done and more enemy are killed or captured; but more Americans are, unfortunately, killed and injured.

But I'm sure that Jack Murtha, being the "most competent" military mind in congress, already knew that.

Or did he?

Give 'em (our troops) hell, eh John...

Harry Truman. The rough and tumble, "buck-stops-here," decisive democrat president, inarguably made the decision (a difficult one, to be sure) that assured victory for the United States during WWII. Truman is highly regarded by members of both sides of the political aisle as a great leader of impeccable moral character.

So when Independence, MO has a celebration in honor of its favorite son and 33rd president, who should they trot out to speak?

Why the coward, seditionist, and traitor himself--yes, the old seditious gasbag, Jack Murtha

Iraq is a topic at Truman Days

Rep. John Murtha tells Independence audience that U.S. troops are confused and fatigued.

Having received a phone call from my son in Iraq yesterday, I can unequivocally say that he is anything but confused and fatigued. And for that seditious windbag of slime to come out and say anything to that effect is proof positive that the only place from which he speaks is his anal cavity.

So, to our esteemed congressman from PA-12, on behalf of our son and his comrades who are performing honorably, courageously, and with purpose in the line of duty, I hereby extend to you my one-fingered salute.

Use your imagination as to which finger, asswipe.