Statement from Rep. John Murtha (D-PA-12) re: Defamation Suit

[Penndems]

"I don't blame the staff sergeant for lashing out. When I spoke up about Haditha, my intention was to draw attention to the horrendous pressure put on our troops in Iraq and to the cover-up of the incident.

"Our troops are caught in the middle of a tragic dilemma. The military trains them to fight a conventional war and use overwhelming force to protect U.S. lives. I agree with that policy, but when we use force, we often kill civilians. What are the consequences?

"Three years ago, there were fewer than 500 foreign fighters in Iraq. They were called 'dead enders.' Then there were 5,000, and they were called 'terrorists.' Now there are 20,000, and the administration calls this 'sectarian violence.'

"All this time, we've had at least 130,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq. In the last year, incidents have increased from 49 per day to 100 per day. About 14,000 Iraqis were killed in the last year, mostly in the last six months. Oil and electricity production are below pre-war level, and unemployment is 60 percent throughout most of the country. Our troops are in 120-degree temperatures with 70 pounds of equipment on their back, and they don't know who the enemy is.

"This conflict cannot be won militarily. Our troops are caught in the middle of a civil war. It's well beyond the time to redeploy from Iraq."
*************************************************************************
Link:
http://www.politicspa.com/

[knowbody0]

1. facts are facts

this administration is allergic to logic.

[Penndems]

3. Amen - and Representative Murtha stated his case most logically,

while showing respect to the young man.

Jack Murtha is pure old-school class and dignity.

[knowbody0]

6. i believe his heart bleeds for the kid involved

[Penndems]

8. Thinking the same thing here

Jack Murtha, the old Marine, has too much honor in him to see the dishonor in others.

[Cha]

22. I believe that, too..

Jack Murtha is the real deal.

[MrCoffee]

29. Shouldn't everyones?

The Congressman is right. The soldiers are put in an utterly untenable position, and I can't even imagine the kind of pressure they are under over there. I'm certainly not defending them, but I'm not quite willing to completely demonize them yet either. I'll save the demonization for those who sent them there.

[Penndems]

32. YES, they should

As the sister of a twenty-year career Marine, it hurts me to see something like this happen. We cannot - and should not - damn all for the actions of a few.

But this young man is misguided in his pursuit of a lawsuit against Representative Murtha. He's being used as a tool of the right-wing, and for that I DO fault him.

BTW, welcome to DU! :hi:

[MrCoffee]

34. Absolutely

The lawsuit makes him a rat bastard. His service in the Marine Corps does not. IF he's a murderer, which all the evidence seems to indicate that he is, that makes him a rat bastard too. TY for the welcome. I'll just go back to lurking now.

[knowbody0]

38. absolutely

back in the day, friends back from vietnam changed forever by what they endured. few could even talk about it.

[MrCoffee]

40. My dad is one of them...

That's why I won't badmouth the grunts. The jackasses in D.C., on the other hand...

[Bandit]

26. And they have such a Liberal Bias

:shrug:

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. So let him sue Big John. It doesn't matter a bit right now.

If the Marine is found guilty, he'll receive his due penalty.

If he's found innocent, he'll go free.

What the hell is he suing Murtha for at this point?

[Penndems]

4. That's a great question

Why not sue DoD, if he feels they gave Representative Murtha misleading information? Or the Bush Administration for sending him over there?

This case has all the earmarks of "swift boating".















(edited for additional text)

[TheCowsCameHome]

5. Well, it sounds like the military thinks the charges have merit.

Otherwise why would they bother to bring charges againt their own?

Big John won't be ruffled by this frivilous suit.

[Penndems]

7. Agree - Jack Murtha is a good, honorable public servant

He has served this country with distinction for over fifty years, and the people of his district are intelligent enough to know what's going on here.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

10. You bet it does.

And I'll bet $5.00 that when you drill down into this kid and the people around him, you will find some of that vermin filling his head.

[DesEtoiles]

13. Murtha has immunity for what he says in office-suit is BS

[Maine-ah]

19. depends on where he is.

I do believe if he's making statements in an interview, or to the press he is not immune. If it's something he says while in session, then yes he is immune.

either way, they're pulling this one right out of their asses.

[Joe Bacon]

39. Article 1, Section 6 protects John Murtha

Murtha made these remarks on the floor of the house and he is protected by the Constitution:

Section 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

The suit is bullshit probably financed by the Nazi Republican Party.

[TheCowsCameHome]

18. Some allegedly retired military guy called Limbaugh today

and went into a rant about how he and his fellow military guys hated "Murtha types" and what they stood for.

So 37 years of honorable service by John Murtha evidently doesn't mean anything to this caller. Real nice talk from a military "brother", if in fact he was one. I have my doubts if he was really a military man.

John Murtha has more class in his pinky than that guy had in his entire body, and Rush Limbaugh is and always will be a dirty, rotten, stinking COWARD.

[Critters2]

30. I don't doubt military types talk like this

I have three retired career military guys in my church. They worship the military and *. Anyone who questions * is a traitor! I'm sure they only come to church because someone ordered 'em to once. No more interest in peace and justice than I have in NASCAR.

[Joe for Clark]

43. Now that you say that, I heard part of that rant -

And my gut reaction was he was never there (in the service).

People in combat don't turn on others that were - an unwritten rule??

That whole thing smelled wrong. Even for Rush.

Good post,

Joe

[azurnoir]

9. Couldn't be that

the rewpukes knew about todays announcement in advance or "lets sue the left for telling the truth".

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14150687/

[Penndems]

12. BINGO - they wanted to get out in front of this before it broke in the

media.

I didn't stop to think about that, but you're right.

[Monkeyman]

11. Veterans For Truth are on their way to swiftboat Martha

So are we this is the showdown we have been waiting for. Lets see the butt heads go against real combat veterans from Nam. Kerry staff would not let us fight back this time no one will stop us

[FredScuttle]

14. "real combat veterans from Nam"?

So, what was Kerry...a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio Network?

[Monkeyman]

15. No Kerry staff stop us the last time not this time

John Frigning O'neil himself will be in front of Murtha office at 10 am Thurs. So will some of the Kerry vets this most end now

[FredScuttle]

17. I agree

O'Neill is a thug on the payroll. He's had a hard-on for Kerry ever since Nixon hand-picked him to debate Kerry on the Dick Cavett show 35 years ago. I hope Murtha and his supporters give this gentleman the response he so richly deserves.

[Joe for Clark]

16. Yes, I agree - ain't gonna work a second time.

I think the "swift boater" had some traction cause we really didn't put a face on them - they were always in the shadows.

So, lets put a face on it. Mr O'Neils face - he is just raw meat into a crowd right now.

I think this suit is one of the dumbest moves I have ever seen in politics - so lets use it.

Can someone (more talented then me) get O'Neil's service records and put them on line here.

Lets take a real close look. Lets get the muster of just who served with him. Lets put a face on this and then put it under the same microscope they put Kerry under.

They have to be pulled out from the shadows now. It is a good time to do it, too.

Joe

[karynnj]

28. It's too bad O'Neil can't be puhed to show his records -

I bet they won't come out as good under an intense spot light as Kerry's did. The sad thing is Kerry had them on his web site - and even when he signed the form for them to go directly to the papers - they verified they were the same.

They showed a great officer whose supordinates loved him.

[TheCowsCameHome]

36. ..or pushed out in front of a bus.............

[Joe for Clark]

37. Oh, we can get his records.

They are public - we need his service number.

Try this - My dad's number (he passed away) is A0831458.

He was Air Corp and then the Air Force - (so you call Boulder, CO)
Type his fighter group number in - 324 - absolutely amazing the stuff you get. I found the survivors of his fighter group that way, and I talk to some of them when I wrote the book.

Oh, we can find stuff on Mr O'Neil alright.

Joe

[karynnj]

47. You wrote a book on your dad - that is really cool.

I wonder what the Patriot group has gathered on him - from there objective, I assume they may look into him stuff.

[Penndems]

33. Will y'all be posting updates on DU from Johnstown tomorrow?

Sure hope so!

[tanyev]

20. Who's bankrolling this?

Follow the money. They may rue the day they decided to pick this issue.

[mopinko]

23. SECOND THAT! FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!

who is paying to bring this suit? who are these lawyers? come on du- this is what we do best.

[karynnj]

27. That 's the stuff the Patriot Group is doing a agreat job on

[Penndems]

31. All the links anyone ever needed are right here:

Vets4Irey.com: http://www.vets4irey.com/Murtha.shtml

Vets for the Truth: http://bootmurtha.com/

Diana Irey for Congress: http://www.irey.com/

Irey is Jack Murtha's opponent. She's married to a war profiteer; obviously, they want this war to go on as long as possible. It's good for business. A money-grubbing, war-loving bitch.

Salon.com piece on Diana Irey (you'll need to watch a commercial first):

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2006/06/02/murtha_irey/

The Irey Iraq contractor scandal:
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=13185
********************************************************************

Oh, one more thing: Rick Santorum supports Diana Irey. They appeared together at a rally in Pittsburgh yesterday:

http://www.politicspa.com/pressreleasedetailed.asp?id=4893











(edited for additional link)

[brentspeak]

41. "Vets For Truth" is a GOP PAC group

under the umbrella of another GOP PAC group, "Iowa Presidential Watch". Nothing too shameless for the Republicans, that's for sure.

[Penndems]

42. Thanks - here's a link listing members of the Swift Boat Veterans for

Truth and their supporters/contributors:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Swift_Boat_Veterans_for_Truth_Republican_Connection

[blue neen]

49. Pittsburgh "Hate Radio" has had Diana Irey on this week.

Fred Honsberger has been shilling for her.

[MiniMe]

48. Exactly, the soldier is, unfortunately, a repuke pawn

[Straight Shooter]

21. I never thought I'd see the day when an honorable veteran is maligned.

These so-called Veterans for Truth are pushing America further into the abyss. I can't remember who said it, but there's a quote which says that America will never be destroyed from the outside; it will be destroyed from within.

We are watching the destruction before our very eyes.

The VfT is like a blood-sucking mosquito, and I hope Murtha swats them down and terminates their mission permanently and decisively.

[Cha]

24. Unfortunately we saw it

in 2004 in Spades.

[Anakin Skywalker]

25. Rethugs Should Form......

a group called Veterans for Lawsuits to intimidate and silence opposition.

[MrCoffee]

35. "They don't know who the enemy is"

ummm...I can tell them. Turn the guns around, boys!

[Evergreen Emerald]

44. who is funding the suit?

[Joe for Clark]

45. That is right

It will come up soon too.

I am sure this is the screw up of the desperate.

Someone paid those lawyers - and it sure wasn't that SGT.

Joe

[Catchawave]

46. Murtha's such a gentleman....

..just wondering, has anyone followed the money behind this :cough, cough: lawsuit?

You just don't find young troops taking on Congress without a "cattle prod" up their asses. Just saying....