Veterans for Bill Russell includes Veteran's Family Members & Friends

Roll Call of Vets & Friends Against Murtha
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(To locate someone by name, use the FIND menu under EDIT on your web browser)

Carl Andrews, Plymouth, PA
Franklin K. Brumfield, SSgt/E-5, USAF (1964-1968), CA
J Burkholder, SSgt, USAF (1971-1977), TX
David B. Cormier, E6, US Navy, (2001-Current), VA
Patrick S. Corning, CPL, US Army (1984-1991), IL
Oliver P. Ditch, Col, USAF (1959-1983), VA
John R Dobson, Jr, CPL, USMC (1964-1968), WI
Dwight Doolan, Capt, USMC (1951-1959), NY
Carl D. Duda, CPL, US Army (1988-Current), PA
Ryan Evans, AT2/E5, US Navy (1999-1904), WI
Joshua R. Findney, AFROTC Cadet (2007-2011), MI
John Foresman, US Army (1942-1971), CA
Linda J Fraioli, Father Army WWII; Brother USAF Ret;
Others Family members active USAF NJ
Danny R Garner, SFC, US Army Ret. (1977-1999) GA
Douglas V. Gibbs, PO3, US Navy (1984-1988), CA
John Gilham, Lance Cpl, USMC (1988-1992), CA
Mark L Harvey, A1C/E4, USAF (1980-1984), TX
Deborah B Leonard, Proud Army Mom, VA
Gordon J. Johnson, Col, USAF (1951-1973), CO
Dr. Stephen Maloney, PA
Novis E. North, SFC/E7 (Korea & Vietnam) US Army (1948-1968), & SGM/E9, USAR, NC
Sharon C. North, HM3, USN (Korean: 1952-1954) & SFC/E7), USAR (1972-1981), NC
James L. Olin, PFC, USMC (1967), IN
Leo Pusateri, MN
James Edward Sistrunk, E-4, US Army (1996-2002), TN
Jeff Smith, Nescopeck, PA
Steven M. Smith, MSgt, USAF (1979-2005), WA
Dr. William (Bill) Smith, Major, USAF (1966-1988); 2 Fathers WWII Europe & Asia;
Son Capt, USAF-Inactive AR
T.R. Thompson, US Navy (1967-1969), PA
Lewis A. Waters, E-5, US Army (1969-1977), WA
Doug Welch, Father Army & Grandfather Army, WWII & Vietnam, IL

Labels: Bill Russell, Candidate for Congress, Jack Murtha, John Murtha, military, PA, Pennsylvania, Roll Call, US Congress, veterans, Veterans for Russell, William Russell

SANDRA K. REABUCK, The Tribune-Democrat: (extract of article) U.S. Rep. John Murtha will have a Republican challenger on the November ballot after all. William Russell of Johnstown received enough votes in Cambria County alone to win the GOP nomination for the 12th Congressional District, an official tally shows. In Cambria’s official tabulation, Russell’s write-ins totaled 1,489 under various spellings of his name, including 1,256 with the correct spelling. A person staging a write-in campaign for Congress needs at least 1,000 votes to win a party’s nomination, said Fred Smith, Cambria election supervisor. Results in the other counties in the district still are being tabulated.

On Tuesday, Russell said he believes he’ll end up with 3,500 to 5,000 write-ins from all of the counties. Under state law, counties are to have their official tallies in to the state by May 12 – 20 days after the primary. “I want to thank all the people who worked to make this happen and to those who voted for me,” he said. To get the 1,489 votes in Cambria alone was a good omen for his campaign in the fall, Russell said. “People tell me that it was quite significant to get that many write-ins,” he said. The Murtha campaign did not return an e-mail request for comment.

Labels: 12 District, John Murtha, PA, primary, Republican, William Russell

Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: The Pennsylvania (PA) Secretary of State has not official certified last Tuesday's primary elections. However, Republican candidate William "Bill" Russell is reporting a victory in his efforts to get on the ballot as the Republican nominee for Pennsylvania 12th Congressional District.

Russell, a Lt. Colonel and decorated Desert Storm and Iraq War combat veteran and who was at the Pentagon on 9/11, returned home to run against Congressman John "Jack" Murtha. However during the filing period in PA, a candidate must submit a petition signed by enough voters to show that he is a viable candidate. Although Russell submitted enough signatures to be on the ballot, a legal challenge by two republicans allegedly beholden to Murtha resulted in Russell being denied the right to be on the primary ballot. Without a contender, Murtha, known as the "king of congressional pork," would have returned to Congress again without competition.

But fortunately in Pennsylvania, there is a big difference between signing a petition subject to review and criticism by "King" Murtha and the sanctity of the secrecy in the voting booths. Russell an experienced combat veteran did not give up. He launched a campaign for voters to write-in his name during the primary as the Republican candidate for 12th District US Representative. In PA, Russell needed at lease 1000 write-in votes from his fellow voters to be certified as the Republican candidate for the November elections.

The Russell campaign reports that unofficially over 4000 voters in the Republican primary wanted a choice in November and wrote -in William Russell's name as their candidate of choice. In addition, almost 1000 Democrats displeased with "King" Murtha also wrote in William Russell's name in the Democrat primary. With several National races on their primary ballot. PA County officials cannot certify the election results until 10 days have past to comply with the Federal law permitting additional time for absentee military ballots to be received and counted. Do you suppose those military absentee voters preferred Murtha who called them murders or Russell who served with them in honor?

Even with this outpouring for a write-in candidate, the Pennsylvania Secretary of State media relations office could not confirm today the current estimated number of write-in ballots in the 12th Congressional District. Until release of the official results, one can only wonder what devious plots are underway by Porker Jack Murtha and his squealing cronies to protect his bacon.

Labels: 12 District, Bill Russell, congressional pork, Congressional race, Jack Murtha, John Murtha, Pennsylvania, Porker of the Year, veterans, Veterans for Russell, William Russell

by Noel Sheppard, NewsBusters: Can you imagine any major television news network doing a report on a Republican Congressman's history of exorbitant earmarks without mentioning his Party affiliation? The words "Republican," "GOP," "right-wing," or "conservative" would likely appear in almost every sentence, correct?

Well, as amazing as it might seem, the "CBS Evening News" on Friday did a fabulous segment about Congressman Jack Murtha (D-PA) and his free-spending ways when it comes to his own district, but never once informed viewers that he was a Democrat (video below, h/t Hot Air via NBer Blazer):

Labels: congressional pork, earmarks, John Murtha, NewsBusters

By Mike Faher, The Tribune-Democrat: Although his name has been struck from the April 22 primary ballot, William Russell isn’t giving up. Russell, the GOP candidate attempting to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. John Murtha of Johnstown, participated Monday in a Washington, D.C., press conference with other Iraq War veterans who are running for Congress.

They gathered to show their support for U.S. troops and for Gen. David Petraeus, the nation’s top commander in Iraq. Russell, who is trying to gain 1,000 write-in votes in the primary to become his party’s nominee, said the veterans’ message stands in contrast to Democratic congressional leaders’ calls for a troop withdrawal. “We’re all about supporting the troops,” Russell said. “. . .

Murtha has argued that the war has been mismanaged and cannot be won militarily. . . . Russell must vie for write-in votes because a judge ruled that he did not have enough valid petition signatures to appear on the ballot. . . . [Read More]

Labels: Iraq War, John Murtha, US Congress, veterans, William Russell

by Phil Brennan, NewsMax: Last week's development in the Haditha case -- the dropping of all the charges leveled against Lance Cpl. Stephan Tatum for actions related to Haditha, Iraq -- drives another nail into the shameful accusations made by Time magazine and Rep. John Murtha. Time magazine, with an assist from the Pennsylvania Democrat, sparked a legal and media inquisition against eight courageous United States Marines. Both Time and Murtha claimed these Marines committed cold-blooded murder in Haditha during a 2005 engagement. They also alleged the Marines participated in covering up their alleged atrocities. But after years of litigation and estimated $40 million in taxpayer funds expended, none of the Marines have been found guilty of committing murder or war crimes. . . . [Read More] See also: Will Marine Show Trials End?

Labels: Haditha, Jack Murtha, John Murtha, Marines, US Congress

H/T to ARRA News Service: Thomas A. Schatz, President, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW): Check out what happens when CAGW's mascot, PigFoot, tries to present Rep. John “Jack” Murtha (D-PA) with his 2007 Porker of the Year Award? After earning a whopping 63.4% of the vote in the CAGW online poll, Rep. Murtha, who serves as chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, received CAGW’s 2007 Porker of the Year title for inserting special-interest earmarks whenever and wherever he can to serve himself and his district. In fiscal year 2008, Rep. Murtha brought home 72 pork-barrel projects costing more than $149 million, many benefiting the defense contractors in attendance at last month’s fundraiser.

P.S. If you have not already done so, please tell your Senators to support the DeMint-McCain Amendment to the Fiscal 2009 Budget Resolution, which would place a year-long moratorium on earmarks that benefit “Porkers” like Rep. Murtha. A vote on this key earmark reform measure is expected this week!

Labels: 2007, CAGW, Citizens Against Government Waist, congressional pork, Jack Murtha, John Murtha, Pork, pork-barrel spenders, Porker of the Year

Posted at The Cassandra Page: I previously wrote about William Russell's campaign against John Murtha this year in Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district. It appears as if John Murtha has found a technical defect in Russell's filing papers and is using fake Republicans to file a challenge to keep Russell off of the ballot. Atlas writes more. Russell can get back on the ballot if he receives 1000 or more write-in votes on April 22.

The larger issue is that of the existence of the "Republicans" who would agree to be Murtha's front men for the purpose of denying the voters a choice this fall. History is full of examples of individuals who pretend to be what they actually oppose so that they can destroy their enemy from within. . . .[Read More]

Labels: Election 2008, Jack Murtha, John Mutha, PA, PA-12, Pennsylvania, William Russell

by JennSierra (VRWC-OK): The Republican challenger to John “The Marines killed innocent civilians in cold blood” Murtha is William Russell, and his name had conveniently been tossed off the ballot in his Pennsylvania district, the Johnstown, PA Tribune Democrat reports, because it was determined he only had 993 “valid” signatures on his petition, seven short of the 1,000 required. Without him on the ballot, Murtha will have no challengers, and he doesn’t have the funds for a legal battle to fight the petition decision.

Labels: John Murtha, politics, primary, Republican, William Russell

by Leo Pusateri, Grizzle Groundswell: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 this 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: F "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 the Murtha Must Go 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!!

Labels: congressional pork, Corruption, Election 2008, Jack Murtha, John Murtha, PA-12, US Congress, William Russell

H/T ARRA News Service: Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today announced the final results of its online poll for the 2007 Porker of the Year. Rep. John “Jack” Murtha (D-PA) won in a landslide victory, receiving 63.4% of the vote. A distant second, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) received 10.6%, while Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) came in with 9.9%, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) had 6.7%, and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) both finished up with 4.1%. The finalists were chosen by CAGW staff from among the 12 Porker of the Month winners for 2007.

Rep. Jack Murtha has long been known inside the Beltway for using threats, power plays, and backroom deals to control spending decisions. There is an area of the House floor known as “Murtha’s Corner,” where the legendary appropriator dispenses earmarks. The overwhelming vote for Porker of the Year vote shows that his shameful behavior is attracting attention throughout the country. The congressman inserts pork whenever he can to serve himself and his district. In fiscal year 2008, he brought home 72 pork projects worth $149.2 million. . . . [Read More]

Labels: ARRA, CAGW, Citizens Against Government Waist, government waste, John Murtha, Pennsylvania

Hat Tip to Lew Waters, Right in a Left World: Aging Democrat Rep. John Murtha (D-PA 12th Dist), known for his anti-war stance towards the current Republican led war, still demands the Troops be withdrawn, even though he admits the ‘Surge’ has been working. Murtha said that he is preparing legislation that would give President Bush the war funding he wants this year, but on the condition that troops leave Iraq by the end of the year.

Murtha, chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee and feeling confident he has the necessary votes to pass his proposed spending bill, and who has no trouble packing bills with needless pork, said he will propose that the House vote this March for other conditions on the Troops funding besides a mandated withdrawal date. Other Democrats have indicated their desire to wait to hear from General David Petraeus, Commander of U.S. Forces in Iraq, before approving the funding. Murtha indicated he doesn’t want to wait for General Petraeus before starting his next round of anti-war legislation: "What I told General Petraeus is you can't continue to spend money like he's spending it over there. The public is fed up with it."

Labels: congressional pork, funding troop, John Murtha, Pork, troop surge

Hat Tip to ARRA News Service: The people at Citizens Against Government Waste have giving it to us to vote forthe Porker of the Year. Yes, we can vote fot the most bloated Porker of the year.

Help Decide the 2007 Porker of the Year! And the Nominees are: Rep. James Clyburn Sen. Blanche Lincoln Rep. John “Jack” Murtha Rep. James Oberstar Sen. Richard Shelby Rep. Don Young

Labels: CAGW, Citizens Against Government Waist, John Murtha, Porker of the Year

This initial post is to let readers know that the Vets4Russell blog is under-construction. This is a grassroots blog of American veterans and friends and family of veterans who are joining together to elect Lt. Col William Russell to Congress. With the result also being the defeat Rep. John Murtha, who have become a disgraced veteran by his failure to support comrades currently serving in harms way and his words and actions impugning on-duty veterans. Please give us a few days, and then join us in the grassroots effort.

Labels: 12 District, Candidate for Congress, John Murtha, PA, Pennsylvania, Veterans for Russell, vets4russell, William Russell

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