Defeat John Murtha!

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.

He can still run as the Republican nominee if at least 1,000 people write him in, and he has the most votes of any write-ins, so it is imperative that Republican voters in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District (map) go to the polls and write in Bill Russell, if they want to see Murtha defeated. Pamela, of Atlas Shrugs has all the details, here. William Russell’s campain site is here, and if you would like to donate to his campaign via Slatecard, go here.

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

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!!

John Murtha Porker of the Year (2007)

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]

Murtha Still Demanding Defeat

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."

Murtha, once named in a lawsuit brought by U.S. Marines whom he had accused publicly of having "killed innocent civilians in cold blood," took an unusual step in clarifying his earlier comment that he felt the “surge was working,” after having said he felt “most encouraged by changes in the once-volatile Anbar province, where locals have started working closely with U.S. forces to isolate insurgents linked to Al Qaeda.” Informed that his earlier proposals of a Viet Nam style bloodbath likely would occur should he win his withdrawal demands, Murtha simply replied, "Many have threatened that there will be chaos, a bloodbath, when the United States redeploys from Iraq, and this in fact may be the case. If they continue to choose to spill blood, it will not be on the conscience of the United States." If America suffered another devastating terrorist attack after his proposed retreat, whose conscience he would consider that one?

Since the Democrats assumed power in Jan. 2007, Rep. Murtha as Chair of the House defense appropriations subcommittee, has toyed with funds for our Troops in harm’s way in order to force a withdrawal of Troops even though there were clear signs of their winning and that the Troop Reinforcement (troop surge) was achieving remarkable success. Failing in his attempt, Murtha proposed Troops funding be held in two month increments, with Congress caving in December and funding quarterly, leading to this latest round of funding votes.

Asked if they felt supported by the American public, a dozen or so Troops in Iraq replied “yes,” with helicopter pilot Chief Warrant Officer Mary Rone adding it was ‘superficial.’ "I think sometimes soldiers feel like possibly people back home are not thinking about it, and I think that's the biggest form of not supporting, is forgetting what's going on,” said CWO Rone.

In May 2007, a petition of nearly 3,000 signatures from American Troops was delivered to Congress begging them to support the Troops efforts in Iraq who desire to finish the job they started, believing they have made a difference and desiring to defend America from further attacks as we saw on Sept. 11, 2001. Apparently, Representative John Murtha has decided to ignore the very Troops he claims to support in their defense of America.

Vote MURTHA for Porker of the Year

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