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Home Front: Culture Wars
Murtha crawfishes about Haditha
2007-09-19
Posted by:RWV

#15  jds = dumbass?
Posted by: Remoteman   2007-09-19 22:53  

#14  Also, BS. We get term limits or they get dragged to jail. Thats my plan.
Posted by: jds   2007-09-19 20:07  

#13  remoteman = Mrs.Murtha?
Posted by: jds   2007-09-19 20:06  

#12  TU, Murtha is an ass and I can't stand him, but getting unfunded DoD requirements money is not his greatest failing. We are, after all, in a war. The vast majority of defense "earmark" money funds needed projects that are not in the standard DoD budget, usually because they are either too small or too time sensitive. This isn't getting some park built or putting in a jogging path, but is money used to develop new tech for our troops.
Posted by: remoteman   2007-09-19 16:04  

#11  Present senators and representatives have entrenched themselves too deeply. This is the crux of the problem.

No, the crux of the problem is the stupid people who re-elect bozos year after year after year. That is why the founders did not have the Senate elected directly by the people. They knew democracy has its problems as do oligarchy and monarchy.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2007-09-19 15:54  

#10  PS: Word, Alaska Paul.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-09-19 15:50  

#9  The firm was founded by Paul Magliochetti, who worked for Murtha on the defense appropriations subcommittee. Richard Kaelin went from being ViscloskyÂ’s chief of staff to lobbying for PMA.

Yet one more reason why politicians and government employees must be prohibited from engaging in lobbying activities or supporting them for at least five years after departing their civil service jobs.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-09-19 15:50  

#8  Saw somethin about the Old Gyrene yesterday...

Rent a congressman

You bought Google at $100 and 3 years later is nearing $600 a share? Big deal. Microsoft has gone up 28-fold over the last 20 years? Yawn. You want to make the big bucks? Rent a congressman. Your return on your investment can be as high as $75 for every dollar invested.

Just ask the good folks at PMA Group, a lobbying firm. They sank $1,333,074 into the campaigns last year of 3 Democratic members of the House defense appropriations subcommittee and walked away with $100.5 million in defense earmarks for PMA clients, Roll Call reported.

That means for every buck they spent, their clients got back $75.39. In less than 1 year.

The 3 Democratic rent-to-own congressmen are John Murtha, Jim Moran and Peter Visclosky. These antiwar Democrats see nothing wrong with steering military money to PMA clients.

And why not? PMA money made up 20% of MurthaÂ’s war chest, 18% of the Moran money and 33% of the Visclosky dough. For 2008, PMA already has steered $542,500 to the 3 amigos.

Money is not the only object. The firm was founded by Paul Magliochetti, who worked for Murtha on the defense appropriations subcommittee. Richard Kaelin went from being ViscloskyÂ’s chief of staff to lobbying for PMA.

http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber/2007/09/17/rent-a-congressman/
Posted by: tu3031   2007-09-19 13:10  

#7  How do we fix it? We boot out every congress critter except a very few, and we get independents in there to clean house. The problem is that nobody of character wants to run because it is such a dirty business to do. The two parties have utterly failed this nation. It is foolish to throw good money after bad, so to speak.

You cannot reform from within. Present senators and representatives have entrenched themselves too deeply. This is the crux of the problem.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2007-09-19 10:24  

#6  How do we fix it?

November comes around every year, and in every other we get a chance to fix it.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2007-09-19 09:10  

#5  It sounded to me that Murtha muttered about both Korea and Viet Nam.

His clinging to "The trial is still going on" indicates a hope on Murtha's part that he (Murtha) might some day be vindicated. Disgusting.
Posted by: eLarson   2007-09-19 08:08  

#4  Murtha joined the Marines in 1952, leaving school to do so.
Posted by: lotp   2007-09-19 08:08  

#3  I can't watch the video, but does it really recall KOREA service? I didn't think he served in the Korean War.

Murtha is proof that the problem is Congress, not Congressmen. Prior to his election he was an Eagle Scout, a Marine Drill Instructor, and volunteered for Vietnam where he was wounded and decorated (one presumes not Kerry-style, but I don't really know.)
Then he's elected to Congress, where he gets involved in Abscam, and becomes this pompass, dishonest, slanderous a** we see today.
Deke Cunningham is proof the affliction is not party-specific but Congress-wide.
How do we fix it?
Posted by: Glenmore   2007-09-19 07:48  

#2  Notice he recalls his service in Korea as if it were a "Get Out of Jail Free" card.
Posted by: gorb   2007-09-19 01:59  

#1  "Sir, you accused them of murdering innocent civilians in cold blood. That is something that would come from al-Jazeera not a congressman, sir."

— Jason Mattera —


I hope Murtha is bankrupted by the ongoing lawsuits for libel and defamation of charater that are now being filed against him for his—knowing and voluntary—gross distortion of fact.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-09-19 00:58  

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