Posted on 01/17/2006 8:32:14 PM PST by Calpernia
Since November, the media have carried around Rep. John Murtha around on their shoulders like a conquering hero for his opposition to the war in Iraq. Theyve thrown around the words war hero like clowns throwing candy at a parade. Murtha was broadcast far and wide attacking Vice President Cheney for his five deferments from Vietnam, suggesting these chicken hawks dont like any suggestions about how to fight a war.
If Murtha were a Republican accusing a Democrat like this, we know what would happen. The so-called nonpartisan, objective, mainstream media would either (a) totally ignore him as an irrelevant, obscure House wacko, or (b) investigate his own military record to see if he earned all the war hero talk. And if discrepancies were found, all hell would break loose. And if you dont believe me, just ask John ONeill and the Swift Boat Vets for Truth, who underwent first (a) and then (b) when they challenged John Kerry.
But Murtha is a Democrat accusing a Republican. So it fell to the Cybercast News Service, (CNSNews.com, which I founded), and reporters Marc Morano and Randy Hall to look into the Murtha military record. What they found were a lot of similarities to the military record of John Kerry.
Like Kerry, Murthas medals came for surface wounds that never caused his evacuation from the battlefield, and like Kerry, he attempted to get his medals by political manipulation, in Murthas case, through then-Rep. John Saylor. But Saylors office felt it was odd for Murtha to seek medals for superficial lacerations.
Murtha also told differing stories about when and where he was wounded in action. A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story reported in 2002 that Murtha had facial lacerations. In 1994, the Uniontown (Pa.) Herald-Standard quoted Murtha saying he was wounded in the arm for one medal and my knee was banged up and my arm was banged up when a helicopter was shot down for the other. Then, Morano and Hall uncovered a June 1, 1967 report in the Johnstown (Pa.) Tribune-Democrat quoting from a letter from Murtha to his wife describing his injuries as being "struck in the ankle" by a "shot that ricocheted off the helicopter."
Since there were so many similarities to Kerry including the fact that author Morano was also one of the first reporters on the Swift Boat Veterans story the left predictably threw an ugly fit. It was not long, then, for Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne to load his air-rifle for rhetorical battle. I underestimated the viciousness of the right wing, he began.
Even before he gets started, we know where hes going, dont we?. Liberals want to insist when they tout a war hero making their anti-liberation of Iraq talking points, its 100 percent beyond the pale of decency to investigate him. They want the world to know that when a war hero acceptable to them disagrees with President Bush, everyone must stop, shut up, and listen like an old E.F. Hutton commercial.
Dionne sounds just like his hero Bill Clinton as he proclaims to be maddened by the unblushing hypocrisy of the right wing and the way it circulates...personal vilification to abort honest political debate. As if that werent enough, theres also this: Moreover, the right has demonstrated that its attitude toward military service is entirely opportunistic.
Now here is where we should all acknowledge our partisanship I oppose the Clintons and the Kerrys, and Dionne favors them. But can Dionne honestly state that the left wing (and objective smearers like CBS) have not resorted to personal vilification on the military record of George W. Bush? Can he honestly ignore that the left has vilified the World War II military service of Bob Dole in 1996 (Robert Ellis in The Nation) and George H. W. Bush in 1992 (Sidney Blumenthal in the New Republic)?
More importantly, how dare anyone on the left accuse any conservative of attitudinal opportunism where military service is involved. Military service didnt matter a bit to them when Bill Clinton was running, but was vitally important when Kerry was their man in 2004. They felt George W. Bushs National Guard record was a scandal in 2000, but also didnt want the media poring over Al Gores Vietnam service as a journalist. Four years later, there they were again, poring over Bushs Vietnam-era service record.
Its fair to state that on some investigative stories, only conservatives want the tough, thorough report, and on others, only liberals are really jazzed about it. But what about the public interest? A media revering the words objective, nonpartisan, and mainstream would investigate both Republicans and Democrats when politicians start dragging out their war records.
"If Murtha was such a war hero and all that, why didn't the rats consider nominating him for higher office than the house? Why wasn't he considered for VP over Algore or as Algore's running mate?
No one ever heard of him before the left found out how he hates the thought of our troops winning a war."
An unknown war hawk who lives in the "Deer Hunter" area of PA (according to an article in Newsweek. Why do you suppose these awards only begin in 1999? Was it because there wasn't enough room for previous awards, or was it because there aren't any previous awards? If there weren't any, why did they all begin in '99? I'll be the first to admit this might be a tin-foil hat question.
http://www.vote-smart.org/extended_bio.php?can_id=H3460103
Awards
-Friends of the National Parks Award, 2005
-Annual Award, Pennsylvania Cancer Alliance, 2004
-National Distinguished Public Service Award, American Legion, 2003
-Award for Ongoing Support, Brain Injury Association of America, 2003
-Man of the Year Award, Catholic War Veterans of America, 2003
-History Makers Award, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, 2003
-Annual Pink Ribbon Award, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, 2003
-Conservation Is Progress Award, Southern Alleghenies Conservancy, 2003
-Leadership Award, National Breast Cancer Coalition, 2002, 2003
-Legislative Recognition Award, American Ambulance Association, 2002
-Hero Award, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 2002
-Leadership Award, Children's Hospice International, 2002
-Chairman's Award of the Economic Summit, Greater Johnstown/Cambria County Chamber of Commerce, 2002
-Semper Fidelis Award, Marine Corps Foundation, 2002
-Legislative Award, National Organization of State Offices of Rural Development, 2002
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, 2002
-Champion of Technology, Pittsburgh Technology Council, 2002
-Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Scranton, 2002
-Honorary Doctor of Laws, Washington & Jefferson College, 2002
-Outstanding Legislator Award, Association of the United States Army, 2001
-Man of the Year Award, Catholic War Veterans of Pennsylvania, 2001
-Eberly Economic Development Award, 2001
- Public Service Award, Fayette County Community Action Agency, 2001
-Jefferson Lincoln Award, Panetta Institute, 2001
-Arthur F. McNulty Civic Leadership Award, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, 2001
-Annual Award, Westmoreland Economic Growth Connection, 2001
-David Glick Award, World Affairs Council, 2001
-Top 100 People of Central Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Business Central, 1999, 2000, 2001
-Commitment to Justice Award, American Bar Association, 2000
-Defense Science Award, Association of American Universities, 2000
-Legion of Honor Gold Medallion, Chapel of the Four Chaplains, 2000
-Thanks from the Children Award, Children's Hospital of Western Pennsylvania, 2000
-Friends of Education Award, Greater Johnstown School District
-Robert A. Thompson Award, Navy League, 2000
-Honorary Doctor of Laws, Seton Hill College, 2000
-Spirit of Hope Award, United Service Organization, 2000
-Appreciation Award, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 2000
"When everyone is special, then no one is special".
Words from a child.
Awards, trophys and medals are past out like pencils now.
Why? Because the left aren't achievers. They need to hide their dodging mentality.
It's a script, call them moles call them trollscall them whatever you want they are here and they have an agenda, convince others to do nothing and to saying.
During the last presidential election I ran across one on another board that I swear to God was posting from one of Kerry's Campaign Offices, it was that scripted. Once Kerry lost he quit posting altogether and I never seen him post since.
They are the rabble rousers in the crowd, only they aren't there to rouse the rabble they are there to silence the outrage.
Cal, here's another post along those lines.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-president-needs-to-de_b_13928.html
Cobra, I wrote a post yesterday about Tonk's moveonFReepers, thought he ought to change the name, but things were pretty inflamed at that point, so I deleted instead. I've got no proof of it, LOL, but it was the very same change as yours except I offered two choices.
The other was:
EdmundBurkeFReepers
I would just add that I never knew my uncle was at Iwo Jima until my mother quietly whispered it to me at services for the first Veteran's Day after my son's enlistment- nearly twenty years after his death. My jaw hit the floor. I whispered rather loudly in return, "WHY DID I NEVER KNOW THAT?!" She just kind of shrugged.
My uncle (with six sons of his own) privately presented my brother with his dress blues upon his enlistment. They were ruined in a hurricane. My brother, alone, lit a fire especially for them, and cried as he burned them.
He didn't tell me about his little ceremony, someone who saw it told me.
these are clowns throwing candy at a parade:
the left
Kerry
Murtha
The truth was unveiled, yes.
Where have I heard this before:
"Lead, follow or get out of the way."
I will say that during the discussion, some very good points were made to handle this carefully and to avoid flying off the handle emotionally. I do appreciate those points that this needs to be handled factually and with controlled emotion.
The second point is a discipline that's difficult to exercise when I've watched those before my son and his colleagues be beaten to a bloody pulp with a baseball bat and consider that the same is very likely coming after my son.
I suppose it's just the reverse, but worse, for vets who were hit and after years of recovery- to see the bat swinging toward their little brothers and sisters.
>>>I suppose it's just the reverse, but worse, for vets who were hit and after years of recovery- to see the bat swinging toward their little brothers and sisters.
And this is a bond that posers will never feel.
"If Murtha was such a war hero and all that, why didn't the rats consider nominating him for higher office than the house? Why wasn't he considered for VP over Algore or as Algore's running mate?"
Yes. The bond. Perhaps Vietnam Vets should start a special Purple BrokenHearts Club Band and issue special Purple Hearts for the wounds received by Kerry. I've got a little smile as I say that, but it's a very sad smile.
Kerry's actions and no proof are all the more legitimate reason to make Murtha accountable.
1. Prove the medals were earned.
2. Explain why he still talking after the overtly obvious
403-3 vote.
>>>>2. Explain why he still talking after the overtly obvious 403-3 vote.
On the other thread, I posted a link to his speech he made to the Democratic Caucus. The speech was posted to a Marxist Lenin site.
When you google the speech to see where else it is posted, it comes up on other sites with the disclosure, 'paid for by political.moveon.org'
I think that is the answer to talking after the 403-3 vote.
I think you're right.
Look what I just found...
maybe the purple heart thing isn't a silly idea...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1560244/posts
and check this out:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1560318/posts#comment?q=1
Post #4 has an excellent point about dems 'window dressing'.
Bush volunteered to fly in the SEA War Games and said request was denied. Not his choice.
Another new Murtha article:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1560284/posts#comment?q=1
"Plus, Murtha is a terrible speaker and is only good at getting pork for his district"
In other words, Murtha is a useful idiot to the left. They use the guy for anti-war fodder and pork-gathering but crap on him for higher office.
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