Just suppose for one moment that you were a sergeant in the United States Marines.

You led a squad during the now infamous incident in Haditha, Iraq.
It unfortunately left as many as 24 civilians dead.
You claim that your unit did not intentionally target any civilians, and followed military rules of engagement in addition to which you never tried to cover up the shootings.

Marine Names Murtha in Defamation Suit tells us……..

Congressman Discussed Killings Involving Serviceman’s Squad in Haditha, Iraq.
Marine Corps staff sergeant who led the squad accused of killing two dozen civilians in Haditha, Iraq, will file a lawsuit today in federal court in Washington claiming that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) defamed him when the congressman made public comments about the incident earlier this year.

Attorneys for Frank D. Wuterich, 26, argue in court papers that Murtha tarnished the Marine’s reputation by telling news organizations in May that the Marine unit cracked after a roadside bomb killed one of its members and that the troops “killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” Murtha also said repeatedly that the incident was covered up…

“This case is not about money; it’s about clearing Frank Wuterich’s name, and part of that is to identify where these leaks are coming from,” Zaid said in an interview. “Congressman Murtha has created this atmosphere that has already concluded guilt. He’s created this environment that really smells, and he’s the only one who has done that.”

The move by Wuterich is rare, as statements made by members of Congress generally are protected under the “speech or debate” clause in Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution. But legal experts said the clause grants immunity only for what lawmakers say in legislative proceedings and does not apply to news releases, speeches and other public comments.

Wuterich, through his attorneys, has maintained his innocence and has said that the Marines killed two dozen people that day because they were engaged in a firefight with suspected insurgents. He told his lawyers that he and other Marines used grenades and rifles to clear two houses they thought were hostile. Another Marine’s detailed account of the incident,.. corroborates Wuterich’s version.

“The Supreme Court has suggested that speech and debate has limits to it, and that makes people vulnerable in certain areas,” Ritchie said.”

Murthamouth at it again.

For some of his………..ahem.. “better” moments. Heh.

Murtha put war at top of agenda in House
“WASHINGTON — In the 48 hours following U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha’s call for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, his views were described with words rarely uttered in the same sentence as his name: cowardly, extremist, complicit with the enemy.”

Murtha says army is ‘broken, worn out’
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Most U.S. troops will leave Iraq within a year because the Army is “broken, worn out” and “living hand to mouth,” Rep. John Murtha told a civic group.

And just when it was all quiet and peaceful in the ole barn…………..Along comes Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) again……….incessantly defaming, with or without hard evidence.

Sit tight y’all.
The Truth has a funny way of emerging in the end, now doesn’t it.

Semper Fi to all our Marines, Haditha included.

Others shoutin and raisin the flag:
MichelleMalkin, AllThingsBeautiful, FloppingAces, IowaVoice. TMH’sBaconBits, thirdworldcounty, TheRealUglyAmerican

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006 at 1:10 pm and is filed under Politix. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.