MURTHA: "PORK" OR PIG-STY>

My comment today to someone who thought I might be too vigorous in my condemnations of John Murtha: "This will not be a pillow fight."

I stand by the veracity of every observation I've made about "The Prince of Pork," including my statement that "He has blood on his hands." Murtha has created his own political pig sty and calling attention to that is in no way "unfair."

Note: On my other blog, today's column is: "Ten Commandments for Conservative Activists." I urge you to read it. It shows, figuratively at least, how you can have a lot more than just one vote.

The Russell Campaign released the following today. If you have a blog, please consider reprinting this material. And be sure to join "Team Russell."

William brings to the race a conservative ideology, and willingness to tackle the difficult problems we face together. But he cannot do this alone.

Join the kick off challenge today.

Make your contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250 or $500. Don't forget to also send the request to your family and friends and ask them to help as well.

Finally, I wanted to let you know about a new and exciting application we launched today Join Team Russell. Team Russell is an online volunteer network for Russell where you can sign up your friends, donate online, and volunteer for Team Russell.

To sign up please visit my website. Join Russell.com. It's people like you that keep this campaign going, and we couldn't do it without your help.

Sincerely,

Larry Stiles (USMC Veteran)
Campaign Manager
William Russell for Congress Committee

P.S. After you watch the Russell speech, make your contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250 or $500.

Here's my comment on Larry's request:

There two things that didn't happen in the last campaign (2006) against Murtha that are happening now. One, the campaign keeps asking people for money, which is vital to our winning this tough race. The fourth or fifth time people hear the request will be the charm.

Second, we need to keep BUILDING support. Veterans are a critical support group, but we need to get their families (e.g., Bev Perlson and her band of mothers) and friends involved. We need to ask the vets and their families to talk to their neighbors and co-workers about the critical need to put William Russell in Congress.

In politics, if you aren't building your base of support, you're heading for a sad time on Election Day. If you ask people to "honor you" with their vote they'll very likely to do so. We need to make that request of 125,000-plus people in the 12th District.

In the last campaign against Murtha, we "hit the wall" -- and stopped growing. The support of the core groups, including veterans, was very strong, but we weren't "growing our base."

As the Russell Campaign is doing, we need to keep hammering Murtha when he says something stupid (as he's done about the surge). We shouldn't show an ounce of "mercy" when he makes statements that obviously play into the hands of what's left of al-Qaida in Iraq. The media is not going to pay attention to any "measured" comments we make.

Getting people's attention on what Murtha is saying and doing will sometime be like breaking up a huge block of ice. Sometimes we need to use a sledge-hammer.

Overall, we have to keep stressing -- truthfully -- what a great reception William's candidacy is getting. We need to convince people that, like the Pitt football team last night (Saturday, Dec. 1) in its improbable victory against West Virginia University, we can defy the oddsmakers -- and win!

In 2004, George W. Bush, not a big favorite in PA generally, got 134,000 votes in the 12th District. If we get anywhere near that number, we will the race. It's hard, but it's doable.

With a strong presidential and vice-presidential nominee, there will be a huge number of people posed to vote Republican. William Russell needs help from the top of the ticket, and there's every evidence he's going to get it. Current poll data shows at least two possible Republican presidential nominees beating the Democratic candidate -- and doing so handily.

Voters just love bandwagons, and we one that's chock full of supporters.

I've made some harsh statements about Murtha in my blog(s). I don't believe anything I've said is false or over the top.

He knew exactly what he was doing when he condemned the Haditha Marines on the basis of zero evidence. He was running for Majority leader in a Party that has too many (20%) people who want the U.S. to lose in Iraq.

The country is NOT going to lose in Iraq, and the Russell campaign is NOT going to lose in the 12th Congressional District of PA. With your help, Lt. Col. William T. Russell will be the next congressman from that District.

(Note: I said yesterday that I'd be writing about certain demographics of the 12th congressional district. However, the research is so explosive that I'll hold the information for the right moment. Suffice it to say that Murtha is taking credit for accomplishments that don't exist.)

The Mainstream Media: Oblivious to New Realities on Iraq, McCain

If you want to know why so many people are so angry about John Murtha's false charges against the "Haditha Marines," please look to your right and click on the Newsmax story: "Bombshell Cripples Case Against Haditha Marines." If you want to hear some hard-htting conservative radio, click on Jenn of the Jungle, founder of http://screw/ liberals.com/ Tell us how you really feel, Jenn!

Note: As promised, I'll be writing later today and tomorrow about how John Murtha's use of "earmarks' (taxpayer funded projects directed to his district) do long-term harm to the Johnstown, PA area and to the nation.

The MSM has only a tangential relationship to relationship. Some fascinating things are happening, but the media, committed to stereotypes and repetition, is the last to know.

For example, the U.S. is winning the war against al Qaeda in Iraq, something that has escape the attention of many reporters. Also, John McCain, whose candidacy was long ago left for dead by many political journalists, is now running second (to Rudy Giuliani). These are important developments, but somehow the MSM seems oblivious to the implications.

As the U.S. position improves in Iraq, there are tremendous implications for the success of the Republican presidential nominee, for the Party's capacity to raise money, and for conservative candidates to win contested elections.

RUSSELL SUPPORTER? YOU'RE INVITED . . .

Hello,

Please be advised we will have a dinner/meeting on Thursday, 15 November, to welcome William Russell to Johnstown. As you all know Lieutenant Colonel Russell is challenging john murtha in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District.

The dinner/meeting will be held at the City View restaurant in Johnstown at the top of Johnstown's historic Incline Plane. The address of the restaurant is 709 Edgehill Drive, Johnstown, PA 15905 and is in the Westmont section of town. The web address for the restaurant is www.inclinedplane.com/restaurant

We will have dinner at 6:00 and the meeting will start at approximately 7:15. The dinner is at your expense and appetizers and drinks will be available for purchase for those who only attend the meeting.

Please be advised you do not have to attend the dinner in order to attend the meeting and you are certainly welcome to attend the meeting only.

If you will be attending please e-mail me by Wednesday, 14 November, and let me know if you will be attending the dinner/meeting or just the meeting so I can ensure we reserve enough space.

Also, I encourage you to forward this e-mail to other supporters of LTC Russell since I do not have the e-mail addresses of all of my good bootmurtha friends. I look forward to seeing you on 15 November.

Craig Minnick
Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Reply to: IraqVeteran220@cs.com

Note from Steve: If you have any friends or family in the Pennsylvania/Ohio/WV areas, please forward this information to them. You can learn more about Lt. Col. Russell's campaign by going to: http://www.williamrussellforcongress.com/. I've written several columns about the Russell campaign -- scroll down.

RUSSELL PRESS RELEASE ON HADITHA SAYS: MURTHA, APOLOGIZE NOW!

Contact: Larry Stiles
Campaign Manager
Phone: (814)243-8662

PO Box 630
Johnstown, PA 15907


William Russell for Congress

“Turning the Tide”

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RUSSELL RENEWS CALL FOR CONGRESSMAN MURTHA TO PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE TO MARINES

Johnstown, PA – November 2, 2007: Congressional candidate William Russell said, “The time has come to for Congressman Murtha to publicly apologize to Justin Sharratt, the other Haditha Marines, their families, and every single serving Soldier, Sailor, Marine and Airman (and their families) who has served in or is currently serving in the Middle East”.

“At the very least, he must acknowledge that he has slandered the bravest of our young citizens and increased their risks of death and injury as they confront the evil that is Islamic Radicalism”. “He has provided aid and comfort to an enemy that is seeking to impose its version of totalitarian Sharia law on all of the Middle East, as well as Europe and the United States”. “He has undermined the efforts of the United States to stabilize Iraq”.

For those not familiar with him, US Marine Lance Corporal (L/CPL) Justin Sharratt, from Cannonsburg, PA, is an American Hero. On 19 November 2005 at a town called Haditha, Justin’s convoy was attacked. The explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) killed his friend and squad mate L/CPL Miguel Terrazas. This ambush included not only the bomb but also sniping and rifle fire at the Marines as they secured and evacuated the wounded out of the vehicle in which L/CPL Terrazas had been killed.

L/CPL Sharratt assisted in the security, recovery and offensive efforts to capture or kill the enemy combatants who initiated the complex ambush. When he moved into a building with some of his squad mates, L/CPL found himself in a close fight with four armed insurgents. When his machinegun jammed, he was forced to engage them with his 9mm pistol. Congressman Murtha not only accused him, but stated repeatedly as fact that Justin and his comrades committed “cold-blooded murder” of innocent civilians.

“Justin and the other members of his unit were facing an enemy who fights by a different set of rules in which there is no such thing as atrocities when committed for their cause.” “This enemy hides behind civilians in order to protect themselves and to create propaganda opportunities by accusing Americans of atrocities when innocents are caught in the crossfire, “Russell said. “ The enemy does this because they are seeking to create My Lai type incidents for propaganda use on the Arab street as well as the anti-war movement in the US. Innocents were caught in the cross fire in the heat of combat that day”. “But those who were identified were safe guarded and protected by the Marines”.

“By publicly stating that the US Marines committed murder and denying that there was a firefight and roadside bomb (specifically, the bomb which killed L/CPL Terrazas), Congressman John Murtha endorsed the enemy’s propaganda effort and confirmed in the minds of millions of Arabs, as well as many Americans, that US Marines had committed atrocities against Arab civilians as an extension of US Policy.

”By making such inflammatory statements of guilt against the bravest of Americans when the investigation had just, Congressman Murtha not only denied the Marines the rights that he and his colleagues so adamantly want to bestow on the terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, he helped the enemy fabricate a lie which has done more damage to our efforts in this war than any other politician,” Russell said.

“The lie Mr. Murtha helped the terrorists create has been repeated by Al Qaida and other terrorists organizations for recruiting purposes throughout the Arab World.” “It has also been repeated by Code Pink, KOS, MoveOn.org, and other anti-war elements in their effort to undermine the US efforts in the Middle East”.

Congressional candidate William Russell said, “Mr. Murtha should apologize not only to Justin Sharratt and his family, but to all of the Marines whose lives and professional service has been dragged through the mud because of his accusations and to every single Service Man and Woman and their families for placing them at greater risk by encouraging the enemy to attack them and placing that inkling of doubt in their minds that may lead them to hesitate when engaging the enemy”.

# # #


Larry Stiles, USMC-Vietnam Veteran
Campaign Manager
William Russell for Congress
P.O. Box 630
Johnstown, PA 15907
http://williamrussellforcongress.com
Phone: 814.243.8662

Please volunteer for William Russell for Congress at http://williamrussellforcongress.com

WILLIAM RUSSELL: EXPOSING JOHN MURTHA

Quote for the Day: "Prejudging people on the basis of their type or group is unfair, absurd, at times cruel, and just plain stupid.” (Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson, Economist and Faculty Member at Grove City College)

WALL STREET JOURNAL EXPOSES MURTHA. Here's the link to the WSJ article on Murtha's deal-making to solicit government handouts: www.nrcc.org/news/view_article.asp?id=774

Johnstown publisher hits Murtha. See Chris Voccio's column on Murtha's spending of your tax dollars to ensure his election: http://www.pennrepublican.com/

I'd like to thank the many people who have come here in the last 48 hours. Please bookmark this site and return often. Your comments are always welcome. The campaign of Lt. Col. William Russell against John Murtha is going to be one of the most important in the nation.

You can learn more about how to support William Russell by going to his web site at: http://williamrussellforcongress.com/. If you'd like to make a small contribution (or a large one!), you can do so at his web site. He's also asking for volunteers to help in his campaign.

A week ago, I wrote about Christy Whitman's low-budget (but high-octane) campaign against Senator Bill Bradley nearly two decades ago. I mentioned how Christy relied mainly on (low-cost) radio ads rather than Bradley's (high-cost) TV ads.

What did Christy say? She said, in essence, "I'm one of YOU and he's one of THEM." By them, she meant Bill Bradley was one of the Beltway-Gang, someone so immersed in Washington politics that he'd lost touch with his constituents.

Sarah Palin took a similar approach in her uphill battle (that she won) in the race for Governor of Alaska. In her polite way, Sarah said, "I'm honest, and they're not." She beat an incumbent Republican governor and a former Democratic governor like they were a couple of rented mules.

Bradley spent $11 million and Christy Whitman spent less than one-tenth as much. He won by a whisper, much to the amazement of pundits..

I hope Lt. Col. William Trower Russell takes the same approach with Moneybags Murtha. I believe he will. Swat him like a fly.

You can find out how to support William Russell by going to his web site at: www.williamrussellforcongress.com. If you want to know how to "support our soldiers," a good way to start is by backing candidate Russell.

The race is taking place in the 12th congressional district, which is east and south of Pittsburgh, PA. It's NOT a depressed area, but it hasn't truly shared in the economic growth of the rest of Pennsylvania or the country.

In 2006, Diana Lynn Irey, the first serious Republican candidate in many years, garnered approximately 80,000 votes against Murtha's approximately 120,000. What Diana achieved in her intense campaign was to build a foundation for future candidates, such as William Russell.

Some self-described experts think the 12th District is not winnable by a Republican, but they're wrong. The 12th has a big Democratic edge in registered voters. However, the same is true of my own district, the 4th (including all of Beaver County, and segments of Allegheny, Butler, and Lawrence counties, which are west and north of Pittsburgh).

In the 4th, Melissa Hart, who is running to regain the seat she lost in the Democratic Tsunami of 2006, won the seat three times. In short, she was the kind of candidate who campaigned well enough to overcome the Democratic advantage in registered voters.

In the 12th District race for the presidency in 2004, George W. Bush (not exactly the most popular politician in Pennsylvania) split the vote with John Kerry 50-50. Even though the 12th has a lot more Democrats than Republicans, it's a district where no Party has a lock on voters.

The key for William Russell is to target -- and win the votes -- of Democrats who have little in common with John Murtha. Recently, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Jack Kelly noted that 19% of the Democrats nationally wanted the U.S. to lose in Iraq. From all his statements in the past several years, John Murtha is one of those Democrats.

When Murtha called the Haditha Marines "cold-blooded killers," he stereotyped brave soldiers who had not been accused, let alone convicted, of any crime. Murtha made the accusations for his personal political gain, and he provided aid and comfort to sworn enemies of the U.S. As Jack Kelly suggested, people who like Benedict Arnold are going to love Jack Murtha.

In other words, William needs to appeal to the 80%-plus of Democrats who have a lot more in common with him on national security than they do with John Murtha. I've recommended to William that he introduce himself in this way: "I'm William Trower Russell. I'm a veteran of Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, and I would very much appreciate your support in my campaign for Congress."

In fact, the people of the 12th District overwhelmingly support our troops, and the best way they can show that is by backing William.

There are literally million of Republican, Independents, and -- yes -- Democrats who can't stand John Murtha. If even a relatively small percentage of these people strongly support Willam Russell, he can win in 2008.

On 9/11/2001, Lt. Col. Russell and his wife were in the Pentagon when suicide bombers struck it. Where was Jack Murtha on 9/11? He was in his usual place, "Murtha's Corner," in Congress. He was doing what Jack Murtha does -- not defending America, but rather cutting political deals with a handful of congressmen who share his cynicism about public service. Which of these men do you want in Congress?

I hope you're one of those people. Go right now to his web site at: http://williamrussellforcongress.com/.

In 2006, Diana Irey got contributions from 7,000 people across the country. If William can get contributions from 10,000 Americans, he will win . . . in one of the most important races in the history of this country.