John Murtha; Dr. Hendricks; Atlas Shrugged; Ayn Rand; Socialized medicine

There is irony to be found in the death of Congressman John Murtha this week. Congressman Murtha was a liberal Democrat who supported government growth and government pork for decades. He provided unwavering support to the Democrat leadership in Washington as they sought to nationalize the health care system.

The irony is that Murtha died from a medical mistake during otherwise routine surgery. Murtha died from something that will become all too common for every American in the coming years if the government completes its nationalization of medical care. Medical care will degenerate like every other government "service." Today's doctors will either quit or become government bureaucrats (or will take orders from bureaucrats). The fictional Dr. Hendricks told our future in Atlas Shrugged:

I quit when medicine was placed under State control, some years ago . . . . Do you know what it takes to perform a brain operation? Do you know the kind of skill it demands, and the years of passionate, merciless, excruciating devotion that go to acquire that skill? That was what I would not place at the disposal of men whose sole qualification to rule me was their capacity to spout the fraudulent generalities that got them elected to the privilege of enforcing their wishes at the point of a gun. I would not let them dictate the purpose for which my years of study had been spent, or the conditions of my work, or my choice of patients, or the amount of my reward. I observed that in all the discussions that preceded the enslavement of medicine, men discussed everything - except the desires of the doctors. Men considered only the 'welfare' of their patients, with no thought for those who were to provide it. That a doctor should have any right, desire or choice in the matter, was regarded as irrelevant selfishness; his is not to choose, they said, only 'to serve.' That a man who's willing to work under compulsion is too dangerous a brute to entrust with a job in the stockyards - never occurred to those who proposed to help the sick by making life impossible for the healthy. I have often wondered at the smugness with which people assert their right to enslave me, to control my work, to force my will, to violate my conscience, to stifle my mind - yet what is it that they expect to depend on when they lie on an operating table under my hands? Their moral code has taught them to believe that it is safe to rely on the virtue of their victims. Well, that is the virtue I have withdrawn. Let them discover the kinds of doctors that their system will now produce. Let them discover, in their operating rooms and hospital wards, that it is not safe to place their lives in the hands of a man whose life they have throttled. It is not safe, if he is the sort of man who resents it - and still less safe, if he is the sort who doesn't.

Atlas Shrugged, p. 744, 35th Anniversary Edition

So what was the situation with Murtha's doctors? Did they resent being dressed in white coats as props for Obamacare? Or did Murtha get the leftover doctors after the resentful ones quit?

Support William Russell; John Murtha is unopposed

I previously wrote about William Russell's campaign against John Murtha this year in Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district. It appears as if John Murtha has found a technical defect in Russell's filing papers and is using fake Republicans to file a challenge to keep Russell off of the ballot. Atlas writes more. Russell can get back on the ballot if he receives 1000 or more write-in votes on April 22.

The larger issue is that of the existence of the "Republicans" who would agree to be Murtha's front men for the purpose of denying the voters a choice this fall. History is full of examples of individuals who pretend to be what they actually oppose so that they can destroy their enemy from within.

Will Durant was an atheist who had broken with the Catholic Church, yet remained in the seminary. His intention (and that of his friend and fellow seminarian) was to become a priest and undermine the Church from within throughout a long career. Durant did not follow through on his plan (quitting to become an educator and historian), but his friend did.

Durant told his story in his autobiography, Transitions.



This is no casual example. Consider the commitment of one who spends his life as a Priest. He gives up marriage. He gives up privacy. He gives up all of the trappings of life outside of the church, including any possibility of wealth accumulation. It is understandable that one might do this if he actually believes in God. But to do it while believing that God does not exist requires a different kind of commitment. To be so committed to atheism that one could endure a fundamentally dishonest life is almost unimaginable to ordinary humans. Yet it has been done.

As another example, those who are not wilfully blind are aware of the actions of many Soviet agents who pretended to be "American" for the sole purpose of undermining America during the cold war.



There are many other examples. But now we have the example of individuals who would join a political party solely for the purpose of undermining its operations, keeping its candidates off of the ballot and denying the voters a choice. All while maintaining the appearance of kinship with the party of Reagan, Goldwater and Newt Gingrich.

I know nothing of the individuals that challenged Russell's nomination filing at the behest of John Murtha. But I can try to imagine how they attempt to integrate this political errand into their personal lives. With friends who might wonder how a Republican could do such a thing to the Republican voters, they have no choice but to feign indignance of their own and protest that they felt a need to right a terrible wrong. In order to justify their own betrayal, they resort to false accusation, slander and repeating of smears. Or they must pretend to be so angry about some recent issue, that they are compelled to take drastic action. These excuses and feigned emotions wear thin after a time. Eventually they learn to seek only the company of kindred spirits - leftists who will understand the need to live a lie for the greater goal of promoting big government and surrender to terrorists.

My point is that we should not assume that one is a "Republican" just because he can fill out a registration form. (No more than we should assume that one is an "American" just because he receives amnesty from the government.) To be a real Republican requires commitment to certain principles. If someone demonstrates outright hostility to those principles at every turn, it is a safe bet that they will betray the party in some important way in the future.

John Murtha faces opposition in 2008; Bill Russell

In 2008, John Murtha faces opposition from Bill Russell in the race for Pennsylvania's 12th District.


Pennsylvania's 12th District



Russell is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve. Russell and his then-pregnant wife were working in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 as Flight 77 hit the building. The Russells and their unborn son all survived. Russell has since served in Iraq. He now resides in Johnstown.

Lt. Colonel William T. Russell (USAR)












Russell's website contains a lot of relevant information related to issues.

Murtha's opponent from 2006, Diana Irey, has apparently decided not to run this year. The 2006 campaign, while unsuccessful, posed the first serious challenge to Murtha in quite some time.

We often talk about coattail effects from a strong Presidential candidate upon local races. In this case, the reverse might be true. A strong congressional challenge could help Republicans in the Pennsylvania presidential race. Even if Russell does not win, an issue oriented battle might spark enough enthusiasm to help the Republican presidential candidate.

Quote of the day - Mark Steyn

So "the Murtha plan" is to deny the president the possibility of victory while making sure Democrats don't have to share the blame for the defeat.

Mark Steyn - 2-18-07

Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha, Presidio Partners, 936 acres and $280 million

Those looking to find a reason for the Pelosi/Murtha alliance that resulted in the second of many blunders of Pelosi's career as THE FIRST WOMAN SPEAKER of the HOUSE (the first blunder being her advocacy of retreat from Al Qaeda) may want to look further into Nancy Pelosi's role as a longtime partner in Presidio Partners, an investment company with ties to federal military base closings in San Francisco.

Apparently, John Murtha was instrumental recently in helping complete a deal that required the Navy to transfer valuable real estate (containing a former military base) to the control of the City of San Francisco. Nancy Pelosi's nephew, Laurence Pelosi, was an executive of the company that owned the rights to the land.

In 2004, Pelosi publicly acknowledged Murtha's role in the transfer. "I also thank my good friend Congressman Jack Murtha for assisting us in this last round of negotiation.” AmericasNewsSource has more details. H/T Blonde Sagacity.

These details are still sketchy, but apparently the relationship between Murphy and Pelosi extends further than simply a joint desire to surrender to Al Qaeda.
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Michelle Malkin posts on Murtha's defeat in the majority leader contest.

Diana Irey; Washington County Commissioner; District 12 congressional candidate

I just discovered that there is a candidate opposing John Murtha in his reelection bid.



Her name is Diana Irey and she is a County Commissioner in Washington County, PA.

District 12

She has served Washington County in this capacity for 10 years.


Here is an interview with a local Pittsburgh TV statiion.

H/T Free Republic.



I was reminded of Ms. Irey when Blonde Sagacity posted a general item about attractive Republicans outnumbering attractive Democrats. Diana Irey is the proof.

If Murtha were a prominent Republican opposed by an attractive female Democrat with Irey's credentials, the MSM/DNC would have generated so much publicity that there already would be statues erected in her likeness.

Haditha, John Murtha, John Kerry, Ramadi

I found a post of mine from November 7, 2004, which reported (quoting several blogs) that the Islamic terrorists were planning to booby trap schools in Ramadi so that the coalition would be blamed for the death of children:

Dave at Cold Beverage has posted a centcom link that reveals the muslim insurgents' plans to rig schools with explosives and detonate them once the Coalition's final assault begins. One school in Ramadi was rigged with explosives with the detonation wire running to a nearby mosque.

The left and their allies in the MSM will see to it that the U.S. gets the blame. Hat tip also to Digital Brown Pajamas.

The left seems to follow the same script every time. The Ramadi booby traps never materialized, but the left, the MSM/DNC and the terrorists kept their scripts and their ammunition ready until another opportunity presented itself.

Down the memory hole will go Ramadi and Beslan as the MSM/DNC will hasten to label our troops "baby killers" while ignoring the possibility that the muslims killed their own people in order to provide propoganda ammunitition to their allies in the MSM/DNC.

It is no longer surprising that Congressman Murtha will hasten to condemn the Marines as liars and murderers, even though he undoubtedly accepted John Kerry's version of events from Vietnam without questioning how a soldier could earn 3 purple hearts without shedding a drop of blood. The left no longer makes a pretense at consistency. Murtha can count on the MSM/DNC to protect his own status as the "Democratic-hawk" and "war hero" no matter how badly he smears our troops.

Michelle Malkin provides more information on Islamic terrorist policy of using their own children as cannon fodder.

MSM lie # 53 - Walt Handelsman accuses Bush of smearing Murtha

The truth:

In response to Murtha's demand for the "immediate withdrawal of American troops" -- as The New York Times put it -- President Bush called Murtha a "fine man, a good man" who served with "honor and distinction," who "is a strong supporter of the United States military." He said he knew Murtha's "decision to call for an immediate withdrawal of our troops ... was done in a careful and thoughtful way."

Vice President Dick Cheney called Murtha "a good man, a Marine, a patriot."

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Murtha is "a fine man, I know him personally ... and it's perfectly proper to have a debate over these things, and have a public debate."

National Security Adviser Steve Hadley called in his praise for Murtha from South Korea, saying Murtha was "a veteran, a veteran congressman and a great leader in the Congress."

During the House debate on Murtha's insane proposal to withdraw troops in the middle of the war, Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., said Murtha deserved an "A-plus as a truly great American," and Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., said "none of us should think of questioning his motives or desires for American troops."

On the House floor, both Republicans and Democrats repeatedly gave Murtha rousing standing ovations. There was so much praise for Murtha that one of his Democratic colleagues asked him if he still had to attend Murtha's funeral.

What is this? Special Olympics for the Democrats? Can't Republicans disagree with a Democrat who demands that the U.S. surrender in the middle of a war without erecting monuments to him first? What would happen if a Democrat were to propose restoring Saddam Hussein to power? Is that Medal of Freedom territory?

I don't know what Republicans imagine they're getting out of all this love they keep throwing at Democrats.

h/t Ann Coulter (alternate link) emphasis added

Aside from Ann's commentary, the undeniable fact is that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Hadley, Hyde and Weldon fell all over themselves praising Murtha.

The lie:














Walt Handelsman's cartoon appeared in Newsday and was syndicated around the nation and online. This cartoon first appeared November 23rd. It appeared in my own local newspaper yesterday. Handelsman's defenders will say that it was just a joke. Can a lie be a joke? What is the punch line? Will the MSM/DNC use "humor" as a shield for any lie, no matter how obvious?

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Click here for the complete list of MSM lies of 2005.

Quote of the day - Mark Steyn

Happily for Mr Zarqawi, no matter how desperate the head-hackers get, the Western defeatists can always top them. A Democrat Congressman, Jack Murtha, has called for immediate US withdrawal from Iraq. He's a Vietnam veteran, so naturally the media are insisting that his views warrant special deference, military experience in a war America lost being the only military experience the Democrats and the press value these days. Hence, the demand for the President to come up with an "exit strategy".

Mark Steyn

John Murtha believes that 9/11 never happened.

"Well, I say that the fight against Americans began with Abu Ghraib. It began with the invasion of Iraq. That's when terrorism started."

Congressman John Murtha - 11/17/05

[H/T Lifelike Pundits for the link to the PBS transcript.]

Over the past four years, we have been treated to numerous theories about what "really" happened on 9/11, including (1) the idea that Bush planned the attack in order to start a war for oil and (2) the belief that the attack was perpetrated by the jooooooos. [I don't have citations to those responsible for these theories. Check out the archives of Daily Kos or Howard Dean's hard drive if you are really interested.] We also heard from the left and the perpretators of the 9/11 commission that George Bush is at fault for failing to prevent the attacks. If only Bush had listened to Richard Clarke. . . .

But now we learn the real truth from Congressman Murtha. The 9/11 attacks never happened at all! Terrorism actually started in 2003 - not in 2001 or before.

For years the MSM/DNC has tried to erase the memory of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. embassies in Africa, the Achille Lauro, flight 847 and others. As I wrote on the anniversary of the Achille Lauro attack:

The MSM/DNC prefers to remain silent about this anniversary because it wants us to believe that terrorism began during the Presidency of George Bush - just like hurricanes.

Murtha has taken this strategy one step further by coming as close as one can to explicitly denying the existence of 9/11.
As Lifelike Pundits wrote:

These are the words of a liar or an idiot.

As I wrote on the anniversary of the embassy attacks more than four months ago:

The slightest emphasis on today's anniversary would destroy the MSM/DNC meme, which blames George Bush for all terrorism. Even the slightest mention of this story would remind Americans that terrorism began BEFORE the U.S. led invasion of Iraq.

For the benefit of the left and the MSM/DNC, here is a chronology:

(1) Global terrorism occurred many times over the past thirty or more years.

(2) We began to fight back, including the liberation of Afghanistan and Iraq.

(3) The MSM/DNC began a relentless campaign to reverse the order of ## 1 and 2 in the minds of the public. That is a very difficult task. Judging from the last election, this strategy has worked with only 47% of the voters.

That task requires the MSM/DNC to bury many facts down the memory hole. The victims in Nairobi and Tanzania are mere inconveniences to be forgotten in the MSM/DNC's mad rush to play politics and rewrite history.

This never happened, according to "Decorated war hero" and Democratic "hawk" John Murtha















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Update - Mudville Gazette posts an additional history lesson to counteract the left's revisionism. H/T Michelle Malkin.

Ann Coulter predicted the John Murtha scam almost two years ago.

"The Democrats didn't invent war heroes. What they invented is the scam of deploying war heroes to argue for surrender."

Ann Coulter [from a column that originally appeared February 4, 2004]
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Update
Wizbang comments on Murtha.

Congressman Murtha does it again

On May 6th, 2004 - six months before the Presidential election - Democratic Congressman Murtha stood side by side with Nancy Pelosi and declared that "we cannot prevail" in the war in Iraq.

Yesterday, Murtha once again read from a prepared statement and called for American troops to cut and run in the face of Al Qaeda.

Instead of pointing out that Murtha's position has not really changed, the MSM/DNC has predictably treated Murtha's prepared statement as some sort of epiphany or revelation. Reduced to its essence, the MSM/DNC position this morning is that we are supposed to flee from Al Qaeda because a Democratic Congressman said essentially the same thing he and Nancy Pelosi have been saying all along.

[If you wonder why I keep referencing Al Qaeda in this post, your own confusion on that point reflects the extent to which the MSM/DNC has caused you to forget who it is that is fighting American and coalition forces in Iraq. I will post more on that point later.]

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Bryan Preston [guest blogging for Michelle Malkin] writes that Murtha "was against the war before he was against it." Follow Preston's links.