Murtha sued over remarks

by Mike Faher, The Tribune-Democrat: In May 2006, six months after 24 people were killed in a small Iraqi town, U.S. Rep. John Murtha made a startling accusation. American soldiers, he contended, had killed innocent civilians “in cold blood.” Now, less than six weeks before the longtime Johnstown Democrat is up for re-election, a Marine involved in the now-infamous Haditha incident is suing Murtha for slander.

Justin Sharratt of Canonsburg, Washington County, left the Marine Corps last year. But he claims Murtha’s statements have caused “permanent, irreversible damage to his reputation.” “What Murtha did is outrageous, and I am seeking punitive damages,” said Noah Geary, a Pittsburgh attorney representing Sharratt. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court in Pittsburgh. It includes Murtha’s statements from nationally televised interviews in 2006, including an exchange during a CNN interview with anchor Wolf Blitzer. . . . [Murtha sued over remarks]

Russell Comes Out Swinging Against Murtha

Jon Delano, KDKA ch2, Pittsburg: “Lt. Col. Bill Russell was in the Pentagon when it was attacked on September 11th. ‘The office I was in was actually one floor up and about 150 feet from where the cockpit ended,’ says Russell. That experience and his military service in Iraq shaped Russell’s strong support for the Iraq war and his political challenge to long-time Democratic Congressman John Murtha.

‘People can disagree about whether we should be there, but the fact of the matter is that we are there—and we have no choice but to win and achieve victory,’ says the Republican candidate. Facing off against Murtha—the leading critic of the war—in a congressional district that stretches across this region, Russell’s television ads use Murtha’s own words against certain American troops.” . . . [See Full Story & video]

William Russell Hopes to Send Rep. John Murtha Packing

Newsmax: No matter how proud their tradition, every military organization has its embarrassments. The U.S. Marine Corps has John Murtha – currently a Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania.

During Vietnam, Murtha gave signs of being quite patriotic. However, something has changed him and many who once respected him wonder if Murtha’s ambitions for leadership in a political party that has a 40 year tradition of trashing the military led to his incredible behavior.

. . . Congressman Murtha slandered not only the Haditha Marines themselves, but stated that if these Marines were not punished, other Marines would also commit acts of atrocity. His words have, in fact, done more to encourage and provoke our enemy to greater efforts against us than the words of any other politician.

Congressman Murtha’s “guilty verdict first – we can have the trial later” media blitz is now a well known story. In fact, it’s infamous. Murtha accused a group of Marines of murdering Iraqi civilians in cold blood. He not only made the accusation, he urged prosecution. It turns out Murtha’s slanderous accusations were baseless. All but one of the Marines slandered by Murtha have had the charges against them dropped or have been acquitted. The final Marine awaits his day in court – and he has been informed that his case has been postponed indefinitely, or at least until after the election.

Congressman Murtha, who chairs the Defense Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee in the U.S. House, is facing civil defamation lawsuits from several of the acquitted Marines and their families. If the final Marine is exonerated, those cases will obviously be strengthened, and Mr. Murtha’s last line of defense (“The trials aren’t over yet”) will have vanished.

... Shame on Congressman Murtha. He ignored “Innocent until proven guilty” when he made his false accusations, and now he appears willing to deny this final brave Marine his right to justice at all. Indeed, Mr. Murtha seems far more interested in politics than in justice. But politics can bring its own brand of justice. The people can hold Congressman John Murtha responsible for his outrageous actions, and help ensure that Staff Sergeant Wuterich receives the vindication he so richly deserves.

Congressman Murtha has an opponent. A man who is himself a decorated Iraq war veteran. A man who was in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. A man who has spent nearly 3 decades serving his country in uniform. Lt. Col. William Russell (USAR ret.) is challenging John Murtha – holding him accountable for his words and actions against our U.S. Marines. His web site, russellbrigade.com, takes you into the Pentagon during the events of 9-11. It also gives the people of southwestern Pennsylvania a real vision for economic growth and principled leadership while reminding us of the shame of Mr. Murtha’s unbelievable accusations. The best way to ensure that the Haditha Marines get their full measure of justice is to help the man who so vehemently and falsely accused them into retirement this November. William Russell is planning to do just that.

Honor the troops: Beat Murtha!

by Michael Nedderman (BeatMurtha.com: John "Jack" Murtha has represented Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District for 36 years! How could someone last that long who was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Abscam scandal of the early 1980s, who is the most egregious serial abuser in the House of Representatives of what is known as the "earmark" scandal, and whose false accusations triggered a career-ending witch hunt of eight brave Marines merely for partisan purposes?

The answer is quite simple: John Murtha "gets away with it" by subverting the Democratic process through what is commonly referred to as "the power of the incumbent." It consists of three main components collectively referred to as the "Incumbent Protection Act": 1) the awarding of "safe political districts"; 2) the use of special legislation, "entitlements" and "earmarks," which benefit (bribe) certain constituents who 3) express their "quid pro quo gratitude" with votes and campaign contributions. Those three factors have worked synergisticly to corrupt the entire body politic until we not only have out-of-control government, but much of the country seems to want more of the same....

When incumbents conspire to guarantee the preservation of "The Incumbent Status Quo" for five election cycles, they are overtly working against the people's right choose their representatives in competitive elections where they have the option to hear and choose a viable challenger every two years. Having a "safe district" means safe from voters hearing and choosing a challenger. . . .

We the people may not have the control over our representatives sufficient to insist they surrender the power they have usurped, but the worst of the worst, like John Murtha, can be taken down one at a time and made a public example to intimidate and shame all others. Incumbents everywhere must be made to fear the avalanche of indignation that will bury John Murtha in November and that soon may visit them. . . .

John Murtha is a caricature of all that is wrong in politics today. He deserves the honor of being this movement's first project and namesake "poster child" to focus voter outrage and to direct it, just as a military special forces unit attacks an enemy's critical point to have a decisive effect on its larger army.

The negative "poster child" is John Murtha, his face framed by the shameful shape of his diseased-looking congressional district as seen in the accompanying image and worn on the T-shirts and caps of supporters to promote this reform movement. Those supporters will also contribute to the success of the positive "poster child," Murtha's challenger, William "the dragon slayer" Russell. Lt. Col. Russell is ready, willing and able. However, he needs the support of everyone who would like to solve this national embarrassment, and he needs that help right now. . . . [Honor the troops: Beat Murtha!] To contribute to William Russell for Congress or to find out more or to locate campaign links go to find out more about Russell for Congress go to Veterans for Russell