Please contact Congressman John Murtha and thank him for his integrity.

[mzmolly]

By Phone: [phone]

By Internet: http://www.house.gov/murtha/write.shtml

More contact info: http://www.house.gov/murtha/contact.shtml

For those unfamiliar with his statements:

House Democrat calls for immediate troop withdrawal

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/17/murtha.iraq.ap/index.html

An influential House Democrat who voted for the Iraq war called Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, another sign of growing unease in Congress about the conflict.

"This is the immediate redeployment of American forces because they have become the target," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats. At times during his remarks to reporters, the decorated Vietnam War veteran and former Marine was choking back tears.

"It is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering, the future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region," Murtha said.

Murtha, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, has earned bipartisan respect for his grasp of military issues over three decades in Congress.

It's happening guys, can you feel it! Our country is returning to the people.

[mzmolly]

1. Sheesh. Not one reply?

:toast:

[donheld]

47. No replys for you missy

:D Thanks for starting this. Sorry we're so slow. :hi:

[mzmolly]

63. Well the heck with you guyz then!

I'm having a tantrum right now!

*kicks, screams, bangs head* :dunce:

[Nothing Without Hope]

55. Nope, no replies, no interest, booooring! ; - )

Recommended and kicked. This is HISTORIC. And he does need our support so he can use it to show the other Congress members who are STILL saying "we need to stay to finish the job" (WHAT job?) that they can stop blowing out their a**es now, please.

[mzmolly]

61. He he.

Thanks. :hi:

[400Years]

2. I'm reading it

I think alot of people read threads without responding.


BTW, I just noticed that he is from PA. This will probably help
with kicking out Santorum.

[JohnstownDEM]

67. Hell yes.

Santorum has the biggest bullseye on him in PA right now. I feel so honored to be a constituent of Murtha's and even more honored to know he is a personal friend of our family's.

[EstimatedProphet]

3. Apparently his form only accepts emails from his constituents

It didn't take mine.

[BurtWorm]

6. You gotta call.

It's more effective anyway.

[Gabi Hayes]

10. busy busy busy....surprised?

[JaneQPublic]

8. Insert the Johnstown, PA zip code: 15901 (nt)

[Demoiselle]

22. I just did it, said I wasn't in his district but wished he was my

congressman. Now I feel guilty because I lied about my zip code.
Oh well. (See how moral we dems are!)

[BurtWorm]

4. Recommended!

:hi:

[mzmolly]

9. Thanks BeeDubbya!

;)

[BurtWorm]

19. Thank you for adding the extra b

in Dubbya!

;)

[mzmolly]

23. My Ppleasure.

:hi:

[Just Me]

12. Me, too, Burt!!!

Gratitude is a rare behavior these days, it seems.

[JaneQPublic]

5. And tell him you're donating to the DNC to say thank you

Then do it:
https://www.democrats.org/page/contribute

[Just Me]

7. I'm fixing up a personal card to send snail mail, right now!

When a man's courage is so inspiring it draws my tears, he deserves to be acknowledged!

[Allenberg]

11. My sister lives in his district.

She's quite pleased. :)

[PegDAC]

35. Johnstown

was founded by my 5X great-grandfather. Think I could be an honorary constituent? Representative Murtha ROCKS!!

:bounce: :thumbsup: :loveya: :headbang: :woohoo: :patriot:

[prescole]

13. I love what Murtha said about those who never served

running their big, fat, sneering, twitching mouths about who is and isn't patriotic based on opinions towards this war.
Bush and Cheney must be feeling the pressure, bigtime.

[cross_democrat]

14. Yellow Dog *Slaps* Chickenhawk Repukes

Damn chickenhawk hypocrites!

http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2005/11/decorated-veteran-murtha-versus-gop.html

Colt

[newyawker99]

27. Hi cross_democrat!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Cha]

20. Whew! I love that, too.

Just called his office and the woman who answered sounded like she had been taking a lot of calls.

[othermeans]

43. It was great! The part about "people who had 5 deferments" take that Dick

[PurpleChez]

56. I saw the bit about guys who got five deferments. Amazing!

Finally, somebody in a position of relative authority went on record calling these guys a bunch of cowardly chickenhawks. Now...someone please give * that sword to fall on I keep asking about. And for heaven's sake, take pictures.

[blue neen]

15. Rep. Murtha speaks for me! He is my congressman.

He is a good guy and works for his constituents. I saw him last September when I went to the Edwards rally in Johnstown.

I had just called his office last week about that land grab mining bill that Pombo tacked on to the budget. The people in his office were very nice.

Thanks for posting, mzmolly. I didn't know that Murtha had done this...haven't been on DU today until now. I am recommending this thread because positive news deserves it. We have to give these Dems positive reinforcement! :hi:

[JohnstownDEM]

68. It's funny

Murtha is a very conservative democrat in a very liberal area. He is AGAINST gun control, AGAINST abortion, FOR a mandatory draft (believes everyone would benefit from short service in the military). What makes him so beloved here is the fact that he doesn't pull punches. He's not afraid to tell you exactly what he's thinking, and what he believes in. The best part is, he runs unchallenged now. People that have stepped up to challenge him, get utterly destroyed. No republican can mount an offensive on him because he's in favor of all the republicans' "grabbing vote tactics" like guns. If he was 15 years younger, we might have seen MURTHA FOR PRESIDENT signs. What a truly awesome President he would make.

[blue neen]

71. He is pro-labor, though.

That something that Pennsylvanians can really connect with.

Welcome to DU! :toast:

[Loge23]

16. Amen!

Rep. Murtha's plan is THE ONLY SENSIBLE PLAN.
It will not make one iota of difference, other than to kill more Iraq's and more American servicepeople if we leave now or leave next year - or later.
Murtha's plan needed to be said by someone. I am very happy that it was by a battle proven vet.
Hassert's typically moronic comments are further evidence of a completely out of touch administration and their enablers. They have to go.

[Cha]

17. "The Line is Busy"!

But, I will keep trying..first I had to compose myself because all of a sudden I got really emotional thinking about what a wonderful gift this is from Congressman John Murtha!

He can see that it really does need to be done. I mean I could see it but it's nice to have the company of someone like John Murtha.

[Cha]

18. I got through..she said

she would let him know..I asked her to thank Congressman John Murtha for calling for Immediate Troop Withdrawal from Iraq!

[BurtWorm]

21. I got through too

and she sounded very pleased with what I had to say. I assume she's hearing a lot like it. ;)

[mzmolly]

26. They are getting 90% positive feedback vs. 10% negative.

Very good news!

[Cha]

28. I just saw the tail end of

Murtha's press conference on c-span and he is riveting!

And all those people who said "he doesn't take any shit" are so right!

How refreshing and knowledgeable Murtha is.

A reporter asked him if he talked to the wh about this before coming out and he said, "no..my experience with them is a letter I sent them before this about "something"..and 5 months later I got a letter back from an undersecretary."

He told stories about the soldiers getting maimed in Iraq and it's not going to stop.

[Mugsy]

24. No Thanks from me.

I'm sorry, but "thanking" a Democratic hawk foe coming to his senses 2000 dead soldiers too late, it not so deserving of praise in my book. :(

[kiteinthewind]

29. I understand what you're saying, but

we all make mistakes. Let's be fair and realize that this was a HUGE step for him. I am PROUD of him and called to tell him so!
:thumbsup:

[Mugsy]

52. "We all make mistakes"??? Bull$#!+.

I think we've just found George Dubya's new slogan.

I remember lecturing a classroom full of highschool students for nearly an hour in February 2003 on the fact that Saddam was not a threat to us, was not involved in 9/11, and challanging my students to explain why we were (without a doubt) about to invade Iraq.

They couldn't figure out why either back then (I pray our little discussion saved some lives by preventing some of them from enlisting after graduation).

These kids weren't political science majors and I'm no PhD, yet WE weren't stupid enough to fall for Bush's BS even back then, so pardon me for not getting excited about a hawk that needed 2000 kids to die before he realized his mistake.

:evilfrown:

[Just Me]

57. Speaking of recruiters, they hit my son's high school yesterday.

I was a little freaked out to say the least. x( I actually asked my 15 yr old if he signed anything! *LOL* He was like, "aw, c'mon Mom,...I wouldn't do that!"

I just can't take the thought of those puckers taking my only little boy,...um, well, teenage boy.

[JohnstownDEM]

69. yep.

They were at my old highschool yesterday(my dad is a teacher there). Needless to say, my dad got into a debate with the recruiter, and being a history teacher, he pretty much shot down all the recruiter's arguments.

[BurtWorm]

59. I appreciate your point of view and concede you may be right.

But consider Murtha's turn from a long-historical perspective. In one sense, it can seem like too little too late because he enabled the WH when the WH least needed encouragement. At certain points, he even gave them aid and comfort by being so supportive against the grain of his own party. But consider if Murtha never made such a turn. Consider that Murtha's turn is a wound in the heart of the Bushist beast that no other Democrat, because of Murtha's history as an aganist-the-grain supporter, could have delivered. Murtha's turn may act like an breaking open of a logjam, if not in the country at large (which has been breaking against the war for several months now with or without Murtha), then in Congress. He's just made it so much easier for "moderates" to break his way, and the result will very much be a quicker pullout. Without Murtha's turn, the hope for an end to this mess was much, much slimmer.

[mzmolly]

64. It takes a person of integrity to admit a mistake, and do so publicly.

I am very thankful for Jack Murtha today because he will be an instrument in change. If he had been a man who never supported the war his words would have fallen on deaf ears. Because of his former position, he's got EVERYBODY'S ear.

Peace Mugsy.

[Voltaire99]

73. On top of which, the brutal idiot...

...has been wrong about every US war in his adult lifetime. He's backed them all, from Vietnam to Reagan's butchery in Central America to the current debacle. Stupid, stupid hawk.

Thank him? No, I'll thank Murtha to resign his post in shame.

Stop prostrating yourselves before mass murderers simply because they call themselves Democrats. They're imperialists, and they're destroying our nation and the world.

[Terran1212]

25. That WAS a truly amazing turnabout he went through

And unlike hawks like Kerry or Clinton, he has the integrity to set the USA right.

[satya]

30. Got thru too; told the staffer I'm not a constituent, but I'm an American.

The staffer was very polite and seemed happy to get the call. I kept it short, knowing they're probably swamped, but having just watched a replay of Congressman Murtha's comments on C-SPAN I was so moved I just had to call and thank him.

[bonito]

31. I can feel it, and will do what I can to make it so. at all cost!

Peace

[Nickster]

32. Wow, it was so nice to hear someone just speaking the truth.

It is so freaking sad that I'm excited to hear someone just giving the truth without any spin.

[Coexist]

33. I did.

A very nice lady was happy to hear from me.

[raging moderate]

34. I Thank God for John Murtha

Thank you, John Murtha! I love you and your whole staff and your whole family. I only wish I lived in Pennsylvania, so I could vote/work for you!

[truth2power]

36. There's still a toll free #...

It's not the old 800 one. It's 866 or something. I used it about 4 weeks ago. Someone here posted it but I lost the scrap of paper I wrote it on. I've looked everywhere on my "oh so organized" :eyes: computer desk.

Anyone have it???


Wait...I think this is it. 877-762-8762. Worth a try. :)

[chat_noir]

41. 877-762-8762

You're right. That's the toll-free number for the U.S. Capitol switchboard. (Googled it.)

[chat_noir]

37. CNN Video

http://www.cnn.com/video/

[mzmolly]

38. Thanks!

:hi:

[The Doctor.]

39. "voted for the Iraq war"?

Someone please catch me up and tell me just when ANYone in Congress voted for the "Iraq War".

I can't believe how easily everyone is falling for that bullshit line.

[westernpenndem]

40. Just saw his speech on C-SPAN. This is HUGE. History in the making...

I'm a Western PA native and when Jack Murtha speaks, everyone listens with great respect, even if they disagree. But I don't disagree. He won my mind and my heart today. I just watched his whole press conference and he was so convincing, so sensible. Speaking from experience as a fighter in three wars--two guerrilla ones--he sees our occupation as the main reason for continued fighting there. He's a low key guy but today was so passionate, so smart, so honest.

He spoke last year at my wife's graduation as an RN at Waynesburg College and I noted how he alluded that the best leaders are those who listen to experts, even if they don't agree with them. He said the best leaders are not inflexible. He didn't mention any names but we all knew who and what he was talking about. He voted for the war but he saw how badly things were going and he needed to speak up about the failures at the top.

Today he took another approach, obviously because he knows the situation his grown far too desperate for subtlety.

He didn't have to do this. This doesn't help him politically. He came out today because it was the smart thing, the right thing to do by his country and his young soldiers.

God bless him!!

[mzmolly]

45. Agreed. History in the making.

Welcome.

[FreedomAngel82]

42. I tried it but it didn't work

:\ Got an Email address or anything like that?

[madrchsod]

44. tough talk from a tough guy

it`s over for bush`s conquest of iraq.

[Independent_Liberal]

46. Murtha is my rep.

I just wrote to him and thanked him. I told him he had a lot of courage in speaking out against the way the war is being handled.

[ClayZ]

48. Thanks, I needed that!

Letter sent and I apprecaite this post!

:patriot:

[mzmolly]

49. Thank you.

:)

[TankLV]

50. There is nothing I can add - you've said it all perfectly.

Sometimes, we get to just read and quietly nod in agreement and read what others have to say and nothing more needs to be said.

[oxbow]

51. What a powerful ally we have in Murtha!

A lone voice calling for immediate withdrawal, but a strong and qualified one. Let's begin calling on other dems to join him!

[Nothing Without Hope]

53. Historic. The lies are collapsing. The VIDEO MUST BE SEEN:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5385822

This will take you to a thread with liveoaktx's incredible, historic VIDEO CLIP of the CNN coverage - Wolf Blitzer is shown for the foolish tool he is. He is not kind to the ones like Kerry who are STILL saying that we have to stay long enough "to get the job done." And justly so.

Recommended.

[mzmolly]

62. That was a great clip!

Thanks. :)

[Rainscents]

54. Murtha made my day! He spoke for all of us "America"!

[Ysolde]

58. I did....

Just didn't get a chance to post and let you know that I had.

Thanks for posting this, mzmolly!

[Historic NY]

60. I just sent him an e-mail thanking him.....

[w8liftinglady]

65. Thank him not only at his site...

but through calls and emails to every media outlet that we have access to.We at DU are masters at this.Every talking head.Every producer,every editor.I didn't know much about Mr Murtha before this,but seeing him on MSNBC just now,it brought tears to my eyes-he has such character.I am emailing MSNBC and letting tham know I appreciate their interview of Mr Murtha.He will be on Meet the Press on Sunday.

[mzmolly]

66. Excellent point!

Thank you.

[Gelliebeans]

70. Called the Pennsylvania office

They didn't take my name but they said that they have been receiving a large amount of positive responses.

[java-fiend]

72. What integrity?

After all was said and done, Murtha voted AGAINST House Resolution RES 571, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately.

I'm strongly against this war and if I were a congresscritter, I'd have voted in favor of the resolution. Nonetheless, I must say that I have more respect for the Republican who introduced this resolution than I have for any mealy-mouthed waffling Democrat who wants to snipe at the president's policies from the sidelines but then refuses to put his money where his mouth is.

Exactly three Democrats voted in favor for the resolution, God bless them. 28 representatives voted either present, or just didn't vote at all.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll608.xmlst

If you want to talk the talk, then you gotta walk the walk. Otherwise, sit down and have a have a nice hot cup of STFU. http://tinyurl.com/9t9lq

I agree with The Nation. "We will not support any candidate for national office who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq a major issue of his or her campaign." http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051128/editors