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Below are responses of reader's comments to various newspaper
& magazine articles and editorials.
The readers' comments are
in red.
Headlines are 'linked' and will open a separate
window
of the full editorial.
"The full Murtha"
New September American Spectator Digs
Into Murtha’s Past,
Raises Ethical Questions, Ponders Current Uncharacteristic Behavior…
GrassrootsPA.com/blog
comment:
There are two John
Murthas; 35 years ago John Murtha was awarded bronze star with combat
V and two purple hearts; now he receives awards from Code Pink which
harasses families visiting wounded service men and women at Walter Reed
Hospital…think Cindy Sheehan.
His ambition to be Majority Leader with Nancy
Pelosi as Speaker has caused him to abandon the people he served with.
Veterans for the Truth see Murtha as career politician willing to do
to Iraqi Vets what John Kerry did to Vietnam Vets- smear them with
charges of war crimes.
Murtha is an opportunist willing to slander
American military serving in the field in time of war for his own
advancement. Murtha no longer represents Johnstown; he represents San
Francisco.
--bob guzzardi, ardmore, penna
Murtha is assailed for daring to speak out
[LINK]
U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D., Pa.), a decorated war veteran, is taking
obscene criticism from the right for daring to point out that the Bush
administration has given our troops an all-but-impossible job in Iraq.
comment:
In
response to your editorial of Sun, Aug. 06, 2006
Your
editorial defending Jack Murtha shows you have no clue what the
argument is all about concerning the anger against EX-Marine Jack
Murtha.
Jack
Murtha spoke about a story that was leaked to him by his inside
contacts in the DOD, people who should have kept their mouth's shut
about ANY information, true or false, especially about something as
potentially sensitive as the accusations Murtha made about his own
countrymen.
Jack
Murtha repeated something that was known as raw data, not something
that is the result of an investigation.
NIS
had NOT issued any report, neither did NCIS or the Marine Corps
itself, so what ever Jack Murtha said, it was just hearsay at best
when he said it!
Also, importantly, Jack Murtha has shown absolute disregard for the
innocence of the accused before any official fact finding, or Article
32 hearing of any kind. As an elected representative of Pennsylvania
and a Ex-Marine former officer, he is without excuse, for he clearly
knew the difference about the information he received and the manner
in which he released his comments to the media.
Which
brings up this final point: It is obvious that Jack Murtha did not do
this action for the sake of keeping the reputation of the Marine Corps
clean, or the honor of his country clean, he did it to tarnish the
efforts of the sitting President of his opposing political party. A
Marine officer knows the difference between supporting the Commander
in Chief whom he disagrees with, and opposing an opponent rightly or
wrongly, and to deliberately make statements about people he knows
nothing about from sources which leaked classified information to him
before any fact finding investigations and prior to any Article 32
hearings of whether there is going to be a trial at ALL show Jack
Murtha is NOT a patriot, he is just a loudmouth with no honor and no
longer deserves the title, Marine.
James
Bancroft
USMC,
1977-1981, Sgt
A man of honor
[LINK]
John Murtha is a man of honor and a war
hero. He is trying to save the lives of our soldiers in this
horrendous war for greed and profits.
I am so sick of the Swift nuts and their
attacks on real war heroes. I am sick of those idiots doing the dirty
work for Karl Rove.
-- Keith Bradshaw Pittsburgh
comment:
And that, sir, was 32 years ago before he became
a career politician. At best, he has forgotten, but I discern
something else going on. Political maneuvers to further his own
political aspirations. He should retire with what dignity he has left.
As for him being the most hawkish of Democrats - well, I never saw a
"PINK" hawk before. His political "record", especially the Clinton
regime, is a whole other matter.
comment:
Hero or not who should judge; but it seems to me
he served his country with honor 1952 joins the Marine Corps and was
awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding
leadership qualities during training. Murtha rose through the ranks to
become a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for
Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. Murtha was then was
assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
In 1959, Murtha, then a captain, took command of the 34th Special
Infantry Company, Marine Corps Reserves, in Johnstown. He remained in
the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered
for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as
a battalion staff officer (S-2 Intelligence Section), receiving the
Bronze Star with Valor device, two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese
Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Reserves as a colonel in 1990,
receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
comment:
Wonder if this guy reads Democratic talking
points? Wonder if he could even pick a picture of Karl Rove out.
comment:
Mr. Bradshaw, would you have me believe that out
of a clear blue sky comes a group of people to set upon the likes of
John Kerry and John Murtha? Let us speak of "John Murtha, the
Honorable Man." Pray tell me why a diverse group from all points of
the United States would come together at Johnstown, Pa. to decry this
honorable man? Dose this group possibly think this honorable man may
have feet of clay? Is it possible they are well read and have
determined he dose have feet of clay? Enough to give their time and
money to make a case against him? Pray tell me Mr. Bradshaw.
comment:
First, do your homework. Go to BootMurtha.com.
Swiftboat is not involved. (Murtha is no more a hero than I am -
having been a military desk jockey veteran.) It is the Vets for the
Truth. Veterans, veteran's families and supporting friends thereof -
are the initiators. How do I know? I am one of them and I live in the
12th District. We do not want to see our current military service men
and women insulted, undermined, or USED POLITICALLY by a 32 year
career politician who has aspirations of moving up in the Democrat
Party. How "honorable" is that? There is NO honor is repeating the
same mistakes made with and during the Vietnam syndrone, cut and
running, or playing "paper lion" and leaving millions of people to be
murdered with a ill-advised pull-out.
comment:
Was my Grandfather that fought in WW2 a hero? No
he was just a man Were my two Uncles that fought in the Korean War one
who lost his leg a hero? No they were just men. Was my father, which
never really comes back from the Vietnam War was he a hero? They are
just men that had to do what needed to be done. It must be easy so sit
in the rear with the gear and tell us how to vote! I have no love for
John Murtha, so don’t expect me to defend his political aspirations.
Just don’t expect us to roll over and accept yours!
comment:
In the case of John Murtha, if you tell a
story long enough the teller will believe it in time and the listener
takes no time at all to be a beliver. It appears Mr. Cunningham and
Mr. Kopf are true believers of John Murth's Military Record. Have
either of you read his military record? No you have not read it
because he is ashamed of it. He has been asked by the media to make it
public but he has refused each request. I also did 30 years in the
military and I am proud of my service, (1943-1973). I am proud of my
military record and it is an open book. John Murtha is proud of his
service and he speaks of it often. If you open the door to your "Hero"
status would it not be prudent to produce it for the inquiring mind? I
have that inquiring mind, and I have written to John to make public
his record but alas, not even a response to my inquiry. I prefer to
believe his record to be a fraud.
comment:
Mr. Bradshaw is obviously using the term
"swift" in it's generic sense - meaning a group of former soldiers who
disparage, lie and generally badmouth another former soldier because
his political opinions differ from their own. I'm not sure what
"picking out a picture of Karl Rove" has to do with Murtha's honor.
The fact that a military record is 32 years old does not diminish the
honor of the soldier, Is George Washington's record less honorable
because it's 200 years old. Anyway, this discussion is moot. Murtha's
supporters ran the Vets for Lies out of Johnstown, Murtha's honor is
intact and 60 percent of Americans agree with him.
comment:
Bagdad Murtha lost my respect when he
condemns our military, and especially more so, since he is a veteran.
Murtha ranks alongside of Hanoi John Kerry, in a line of liberal
turn-coats.
Half of America believes Saddam had WMDs
[LINK]
Do you believe in Iraqi "WMD"?
comment:
Who do you believe? Soldiers on the
ground who when they originally went in said they saw WMDs and
evidence thereof, even having pictures thereof - or the media who
won't report it? (Yes, I have a relative who was one of those troops
on the ground.)
Whatever it is, this isn't treason
[LINK]
We cannot recall when, if ever, a
congressional race in our corner of the world developed a national
focus, but such was the case last week. Unfortunately, it was
characterized by the kind of overheated rhetoric that plagues today's
politics.
comment:
Murtha has difficulty with his identity
and the truth. First he makes claims of certainty about the guilt of
the 3/1 Marines in Haditha, Iraq, then, behind the scenes, he changes
his press release to change its contents. How can you trust this
fraud? Are the voters of District 12 fooled by the subterfuge and
hiding of the truth? Do the voters of the 12th district believe Murtha
is a hero? If he is, why doesn't he open his military record and sign
Form 180? Does he know what's there that he doesn't want the voters of
District 12 to see? John Kerry won't sign his Form 180 either. Why
don't the voters of the 12th have the courage to ask him to reveal his
true military record? As the father of a Marine who served in the 3/1
in Haditha during the period of 9/05 to 4/06, Murtha has called my son
a murderer. When I contact his offices, they refuse to talk to me. I
have asked my Congressman and Senator to ask for an explanation or
apology. Know the answer we get? I won't get an answer because I don't
live in the 12th. What a convenient shield for Murtha. If he can make
false statements about the 3/1 Marines, why can't I get a straight
answer from him? The answer is pretty clear. Murtha is a lying fraud!
So, I ask the voters of the 12th to explore Murtha's background and
see if it's one that you'd like to pass on to your kids. If it is,
good luck with raising kids with no moral backbone. If you are
confused by Murtha's misleading statements, tell your kids to do their
research and make a knowledgeable judgement after that. Murtha is a
fraud who has hidden behind a facade of being a hero, but has a record
that shows otherwise. I only hope the voters of the 12th do their
homework this time around and defrock this fraud!
comment:
As a USMC Vietnam vet, Honorable
discharge E5, with a provable Combat Action Ribbon, (DD215) I will
support the charges of Treason against Murtha for the following
reasons:
1) He made bald allegations of
“cold-blooded murder” against Marines and a Navy Medical Corpsman whom
he had not met and had not interviewed, and as you so correctly point
out, had not been charged. And still have not been charged. But are
kept in irons when visiting their loved ones. There is exactly one
source of complaint, and that is from a Muslim female teenager who has
offered starkly conflicting testimony, and whose testimony has been
discredited from other sources. We don’t treat civilian prisoners with
this blatant disregard for their rights; if we tried, the ACLU would
be in hysterics. But it is the Marines who protect those rights. And
Murtha dishonored them, thus aiding and abetting our enemies. And that
is Treason.
2) He trots out a “supporter,” Max
Clelland -- who lost three limbs due to his own loose grenade, not in
combat. He is a joke.
3) He admitted to fellow Vietnam Vet and
Congressman Don Bailey that he did not deserve his medals: [LINK]
4) His name has vanished from the
headlines. Why? Because he has been discredited. If he still had
credibility Pelosi and her gang of liars would still be pimping him.
In fact, he is not the “hawk” that they originally pimped him to be.
He advised Clinton to prematurely withdraw from Mogadishu. And, as
Osama bin Laden said on ABC, that was what proved to him we would not
fight. It emboldened him to plan and execute the attack on the Twin
Towers. Murtha is complicit.
5) He – like the lying John Kerry – has
yet to produce any substantiation for his medals. But there is more
than ample evidence he is lying: http://newsbusters.org/node/3635.
6) As a matter of fact, Kerry’s discharge
– as much of it as he has let us see – is dated years after his
original discharge. It is a re-issue, from when Carter granted amnesty
to draft-dodgers. But Kerry was not a dodger. Why did he need a
Re-issue? He went to Paris – illegally – and met with the Viet Cong.
He was given Senatorial protection by none other than Senator
Fulbright; Bill Clinton’s “Godfather.” We still have yet to see
Kerry’s original DD214, or the citations accompanying his bogus
medals.
7) What does Kerry have to do with it?
Well, birds of a feather and all that. Besides, you were the ones who
brought him into this story puff-piece.
comment:
I really do not live in Murtha district
or even his state but as a real Vietnam Vet let's at least get the
facts straight. Max Cleland did not lose his limbs in Vietnam and to
claim that shows a lot to us who watch from the side lines.
They're giving the country away
[LINK]
Five years after 9/11, our brave men and
women are still sacrificing their lives in Iraq while Congress and the
president continue to give their country away.
comment:
Americans today could care less if we lost
our country to another country and lost all our work to illegals. We
do not have the drive to save our country like our forefathers did. If
we did the gas prices would not be this high. Corporate America is
getting richer while we are getting poorer and it seems fine with most
Americans. I still say if this country was like it is today 230 years
ago we would be fighting for a better government. One that was for the
people and by the people.
We are letting people stay in the
government, get rich and drag America down. When are we as a people
going to say enough is enough? The housewife in 1950 put the coffee
industry on its knees, can’t we do the same with the oil industry? Or
were our grandmothers braver than we are today?
I want to know what our fore-fathers died
for. Why did they fight so hard to be free? We are so lazy we fight so
hard for the government to do everything for us. My last letter did
not make it, I don’t look for this one to make it.
Remember the battle cries of yesterday?
Remember the Alamo? The British are coming? And the most recent: Let's
Remember 911. What about those lives that were lost? They were
civilians. They were in a war they knew nothing about. Why are we not
speaking up for our lost civilians?
War is hell, but let's remember why we are
fighting this war. They came on our land and killed our people first.
Everybody has forgotten that.
World War III could come in the Middle East
[LINK]
I am appalled that we, the people of this
nation, are not aggressively calling upon the government that
we support with our hard work and dollars to stop turning a blind eye
to the atrocities occurring in the Middle East.
comment:
A cease-fire only gives the enemy more
time to regroup and kill more. If you had any knowledge of the
history of mankind and war - you would know this but you are trying to
"force" peace upon those who have perpetrated war against others
(remember 9-11 and other atrocities of terrorism) and naively think
they won't cut your head off with all others. Are you an American?
Guess what? You qualify for beheading. In most cases, I'd say this is
something one should resist.
Generals say Iraq violence could trigger
civil war
[LINK]
WASHINGTON -- Two top Pentagon commanders said Thursday that spiraling
violence in Baghdad could propel Iraq into outright civil war,
using a politically loaded term that the Bush administration has long
avoided. ...
comment:
So, "cut and run" is preferable to
"standing our ground" - that our brave men and women have died for?
That is the "failed policy" that was used with Vietnam and the loss of
58,000 - and our military had hanging over them for decades - all
because of stupid politics.
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