Keeping the faith

Gathering of Eagles, Haditha, Iraq, John Murtha, Keeping the faith, Support our troops

A presumption of innocence: I’ll deliver your email to suddenly silent John Murtha

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Updated: Latest emails added July 23, 2007, 5:20 a.m. EDT

If the lives and liberty of United States Marines were not at stake, Congressman John Murtha’s new found silence would be hilarious.

You know the story. On May 17, 2006 — to celebrate the 6-month anniversary of his first demanding a timetabled withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq — John Murtha held a press conference in D.C. and stated that Marines in Haditha had, “killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” Even before the preliminary investigation had been completed and before the Marines under investigation had a chance to defend themselves, Congressman Murtha used his office to inquire and publicly pronounced them guilty.

Last week, the investigating officer recommended that the charges against LCpl Justin Sharratt be dismissed, in his strongly worded official report:

Ultimately, there is only one statement by an eyewitness to the events, LCpl Sharratt, and his version of the events is strongly corroborated by independent forensic analysis of the death scene… From as early as February 2006 LCpl Sharratt’s statements are supported by the forensic evidence.

Congressman Murtha did not mention that at his May 17, 2006, press conference for the investigation had not run its course, that independent forensic analysis had not been conducted and compared to testimony. He just rushed to judgment and pronounced United States Marines ‘guilty’ under Jack Murtha’s law.

Here is the not funny part: on July 11, 2007, his office announced that, “Congressman Murtha doesn’t have a statement because the investigation is still ongoing.” Meaning of course, he cannot take the political risk of repeating his slanderous allegations of last year.

I want Congressman Murtha to apologize or resign. Actually, I want him to apologize and resign.

As I live nearby, I will visit Congressman Murtha’s district office in Johnstown the week of July 23, 2007.

Send me your emails and I will gladly deliver a paper copy of them while I am there.

The Gathering of Eagles folks have provided a place to post your emails online. No email addresses with be displayed yet please tell us your name and city and state.

Regardless of where you live, I welcome your comments. Did you know that if you live outside of his district, his official site will not accept them?

Please, CLICK HERE AND BE SUCCINCT AND CIVIL, while telling Congressman John Murtha how you really feel.

Eagles up!

Editor — See the posted emails by clicking here.

I have also received emails here and will include them on the letters site.

Iraq, John Murtha, Keeping the faith, Political wind, War on Terror

Marine’s Parents Want Murtha Censured for Haditha Remarks

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From CNSNews.com:

The parents of a U.S. Marine accused of killing three Iraqis execution-style in Haditha in late 2005 said Thursday they would ask Congress to censure Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) for saying that the Marines “overreacted” during the incident and killed civilians “in cold blood.”

“It’s too late for an apology,” Darryl Sharratt of Canonsburg, Pa., told Cybercast News Service after the hearing officer in the case, Lt. Col. Paul Ware, released an 18-page report recommending that all charges against Sharratt’s son, Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, be dismissed because his actions “were in accord with the rules of engagement and use of force.”

Sharratt said that he, his wife Theresa and other supporters of their 22-year-old son were planning to visit Martha’s office, and “we’re going to ask for more than an apology.”

“We need this man censured by our Congress,” he said, because “he denied my son — and the other Marines involved — their constitutional rights to a fair trial and a presumption of innocence.”

“This is what we’ve been fighting for in Iraq,” Sharratt added. “This is what we’ve been fighting for — what soldiers and Marines have been dying for — for the past 200 years.”