The Dishonorable Murtha

Murtha has no honor left, no dignity, and will never be considered as a Marine except by his liberal buddies who would hate him for wearing that uniform in the first place. While an investigation is ongoing he comes out and proclaims the Marines guilty.

Rep. John Murtha, an influential Pennsylvania lawmaker and outspoken critic of the war in Iraq, said today Marines had ?killed innocent civilians in cold blood? after allegedly responding to a roadside bomb ambush that killed a Marine during a patrol in Haditha, Iraq, Nov. 19.

The incident is still under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Multi-National Forces Iraq.

The Marine Corps originally claimed that a convoy from the Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, hit a roadside bomb that killed Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, 20, of El Paso, Texas, and the ensuing firefight killed 15 Iraqi civilians ? casualties the Corps at first claimed were killed in the bomb blast ? including seven women and three children.

A March 27 Time magazine report published claims by an Iraqi civil rights group that the Marines barged into houses near the bomb strike, throwing grenades and shooting civilians as they cowered in fear. The report prompted calls for a Pentagon probe.

?It?s much worse than was reported in Time magazine,? Murtha, a Democrat, former Marine colonel and Vietnam war veteran, told reporters on Capitol Hill.

?There was no firefight. There was no [bomb] that killed those innocent people,? Murtha explained, adding there were ?about twice as many? Iraqis killed than Time had reported.

No official investigation report has been released by the Pentagon and a spokesman for Murtha was unable to add to the congressman?s remarks.

?I do not know where Rep. Murtha is obtaining is information,? said Lt. Col. Sean Gibson, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Central Command in Tampa, Fla. ?Thoroughness will drive the investigation.?

Now if these Marines did in fact murder these innocent people then they should all be hung and quartered. They have dishonored my Marine Corps and there should be no greater punishment. BUT…..I will not proclaim them guilty before proven innocent. For Murtha, a man who has been out of the spotlight for sometime to come out of the shadows and villify my Marines is unconscionable.

Why is he doing this? For publicity or to shrilly cry his hatred of this war:

Murtha said combat stress prompted the Marines? alleged rampage.

?It?s a very serious incident, unfortunately. It shows the tremendous pressure that these guys are under every day when they?re out in combat,? he said. ?One man was killed with an [improvised explosive device] and after that they actually went into the houses and killed women and children.?

Yup, this “damn war” has caused some good kids to go bad, all because of Bush. You just KNOW this is coming. His attempts to make another Abu Gharib are pathetic.

Recall the last incident where the libs went all batshit over the Marine shooting a “unarmed” terrorist. Everyone jumped to conclusions and basically said this guy executed him before the facts were in. The same thing is happening here and Murtha has lit the fire.

No one should ever call Murtha a Marine again.

We need to do all we can to support his opponent in the coming election, Diana Irey:

Thirty two years is a long time to spend in Washington. For decades, western Pennsylvania looked to John Murtha to stand up for our values. But as the years have drifted by, John Murtha has drifted further and further from the ideals that made this country great. He has become part of the problem in Washington.

While John Murtha is calling for an immediate withdrawal from the war against terror, Diana Irey has been standing steadfastly by our fighting men and women and is committed to finishing the job. And while John Murtha is voting to tax our social security benefits, Diana Irey has been holding the line on taxes and government spending.

This election is about bringing common sense principles back to Congress. Join the fight!

As far as the incident is concerned, much of it seems to be based on one 9 year old’s version of events. One paragraph of the original Time piece sticks out:

According to Eman, the Marines then entered the living room. “I couldn’t see their faces very well?only their guns sticking into the doorway. I watched them shoot my grandfather, first in the chest and then in the head. Then they killed my granny.” She claims the troops started firing toward the corner of the room where she and her younger brother Abdul Rahman, 8, were hiding; the other adults shielded the children from the bullets but died in the process. Eman says her leg was hit by a piece of metal and Abdul Rahman was shot near his shoulder. “We were lying there, bleeding, and it hurt so much. Afterward, some Iraqi soldiers came. They carried us in their arms. I was crying, shouting ‘Why did you do this to our family?’ And one Iraqi soldier tells me, ‘We didn’t do it. The Americans did.

So let me get this straight? She couldn’t see the faces of the soldiers, and then initially thought the Iraqi soldiers had done it, until told by them that it was the Americans. Hmmmmm.

It smells. For a WHOLE platoon to snap would mean 15 individual Marines would have needed to be involved.

But unlike Murtha I will not jump to conclusions and attempt to proclaim anyone innocent or guilty.

Someday this POS will be facing Chesty Puller one on one, I wish we could all have ringside seats for that one.

Here is he is on Chrissy the Sissy’s show. Here is the original Time story.

UPDATE

Confederate Yankee has some thoughts on this that need to be considered:

There is the possibility that the Marines did gun down innocent civilians as local Iraqis claim. But it is equally as possible that one or more people inside the house opened fire upon the Marines in an ambush after the IED went off. It has happened that way frequently, and that exact scenario left ABC anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt seriously wounded, when the IED attack that wounded them was followed by small arms fire from nearby buildings. The attack was broken when coalition forces counterattacked.

Someone who truly supports the troops, even if they do not support the war, would want this incident fully investigated to uncover the truth. They would want to know the facts.

They would want to know if the Marines fired out of blind rage at the loss of their friends, and they would be equally interested in finding out if the Marines assaulted that location because someone inside fired upon them, as they claimed. Was it a slaughter of innocents, or were insurgents firing from within civilian homes? Were those that triggered the IED among the dead? We do not yet know, and some are already passing judgment.

UPDATE II

This is the response from Murtha’s challenger in the upcoming elections:

Monongahela, PA ? Today, Washington County Commissioner and Republican Congressional nominee Diana Irey responded to her opponent?s recent comments claiming that U.S. Troops were responsible for the death of innocent Iraqi civilians.

?I was shocked and dismayed by my opponent?s charge that U.S. Marines are responsible for murdering Iraqi civilians in cold blood. Why John Murtha would say such a thing in the wake of an ongoing investigation and accuse our troops of such horrific actions is beyond comprehension,? Irey said.

Murtha made these comments at a press conference yesterday. ?Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood,? Murtha said. He made these comments to reporters regarding an incident that occurred November 19th in Haditha, Iraq.

?There is no doubt that my opponent?s disregard for the presumption of innocence and Due Process will have an adverse effect on troop morale. Unfortunately, instead of showing support for our military personnel, his partisan rhetoric will only harm our country at this fragile time. His continued comments are a devastating blow to millions of men, women and children in the Middle East who are just getting their first taste of Democracy.? Irey said.

Diana Irey has spent the last decade in public service as a Washington County Commissioner, and she is now running to bring her vision of government responsibility, lower taxes, and family values to the United States Congress as the Representative of Pennsylvania?s 12th District.

Please consider sending a few dollars her way to show your support of our troops and your disgust at this EX-Marine.

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So let me get this straight? She couldn’t see the faces of the soldiers, and then initially thought the Iraqi soldiers had done it, until told by them that it was the Americans. Hmmmmm.

It smells. For a WHOLE platoon to snap would mean 15 individual Marines would have needed to be involved.

Curt

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