Being John Murtha

Let me tell you a little about what it’s like to be John Murtha. John Murtha is a Congressman for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. He has been proudly serving his district for over 30 years. John Murtha has served our country not only in Congress, but also served in the United States Marine Corps for 37 years. On top of that, he served in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War where he was awarded several medals including the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. John Murtha is a living war hero.

But, to listen to Republican members of Congress and the conservative media, you wouldn’t know that. You would think that he’s a coward, a bleeding heart liberal, or worse than that. You would think that his life is meaningless and he deserves to be shot. And why are they being so mean to him? For one simple reason: John Murtha believes that the war in Iraq is wrong and we can achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

So, who are these people who are so vile, so despicable that they would dishonor a veteran and a war hero? Why it’s the self-described patriotic, flag waving morons on the right of course. So, let’s take a look at them.

Of course it all started with pseudo Congresswoman Jean Schmidt – the originator of the phrase, “cut and run.” Has Mean Jean ever served our country in a time of war? Well, no of course not but then again maybe she has. Heck, she doesn’t even know if she graduated from college let alone serve in the military.

Then there is Ann “a man” Coulter. She is the one who suggested that John Murtha is the reason they invented ‘fragging’. Anyone who has watched, “Platoon” knows exactly what this is. Has she ever served in the military or during the time of war? Not a chance. The one who accuses liberals of being; “elite” spent her time at Cornell in sororities (or fraternities perhaps) and writes right-wing political slime.

Bill “Falafel” O’Reilly also chimed in after John Murtha made a statement about the Marine Corps Haditha incident. O’Reilly accused John Murtha of having an, “I told you so” attitude and said that he was afraid to go on O’Reilly’s little dysfunctional media circus he calls, “The Factor.” Did Bill O’Reilly serve our country in it’s time of need? No he didn’t although he “claims” that he was under fire while he was a war correspondent. I don’t believe it.

So why do they do this? Plain and simple: they do not have the ground to stand on. These are the, “chicken hawks”, the, “Yellow Elephants”. It’s hard for them to defend themselves against the ones who have defended our nation. Smearing their critics is the only tactic that they have and they have used this tactic over and over again on our veterans. Just ask Max Clellan, John Kerry, and even one of their own - John McCain. Then again, what should we expect from these people? The veterans listed above aren’t the only ones that they have shown a lack of respect for. Just take a look at their policies: whether it’s cutting funding to the veteran hospitals or not giving our troops in Iraq the equipment they need the answer is easy – they do not care about the ones who protect this nation.

Let’s put this in a personal perspective. My father volunteered and served in the United States Navy as a Sea Bee. If you don’t know what a Sea Bee is, they are the guys that go in with guns and equipment to clear landing strips and set up operations in a battle zone. My father served during the time of the Cuban missile crisis and was ready to go, right or wrong, if we were to invade Cuba. At the start of the Iraq War, my father was for military action. He like many Americans based his view on the misinformation that was supplied to him. He now believes the war is a mistake and we should leave Iraq. What would the Coulters and O’Reilly’s of the world say about my dad? Just let them try.

The same goes for my Uncles who were drafted and served in Vietnam. They thankfully made it back alive and like most veterans from that time, do not talk about it. Everyone has a family member that has served in the military whether it is during war or peace. I had the option not to serve and that was my decision like many to do so but you will never, NEVER find me showing disrespect to anyone who has served – especially a war hero.

The bottom line is this: those who have served our country, especially during times of war should be treated with respect and those who have fought for our country, men like John Murtha, have every right to speak their mind. We should at least give them that. Those of us who have not served should respect the ones who have fought for our nation. Why do you think we have Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day? To honor picnics?