Janet Berkey Vatavuk – 11/27/05

This page was last updated on December 17, 2005.

Pride in Murtha; Janet Berkey Vatavuk; Beaver County Times; November 27, 2005.

The Times neglected to mention that Ms. Vatavuk is a member of both the Somerset County and Pennsylvania Democrat Party committees. I suspect a quick check would reveal Ms. Vatavuk lives in Mr. Murtha’s district and actively campaigns for him.

Further, it appears Ms. Vatavuk “spammed” this letter to multiple newspapers. A Google search determined this letter also appeared in at least the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the University of Cincinnati The News Record, the Xavier University Newswire, and Harrisburg’s The Patriot-News.

Below is a detailed critique of the letter.

“The people of the 12th Congressional District are (and should be) so very proud of our distinguished representative, Jack Murtha.

“His courage and patriotism are second to none, both militarily and on the floor of the House of Representatives. I was glued to the TV as the recent events concerning the war in Iraq unfolded. He received several standing ovations from both sides of the aisle, which was quite an honor, considering the booing and jeers that some other congresspersons prompted.

“Amidst a session that was sometimes quite chaotic, each time Murtha spoke, one could hear a pin drop. It was evident that he has, through the years, gained the total respect and admiration of his colleagues, regardless of their party affiliation. They did not all agree with him, but they certainly do respect him.”

[RWC] What a load of BS! Ms. Vatavuk forgot to mention Mr. Murtha walks on water and can change water into wine. This is the kind of drivel you can expect from any party hack regardless of their party. Seriously, though, this tactic was used in a Times editorial in which much of the writing was dedicated to building up Mr. Murtha.

“Vice President Cheney’s comments (accusing Murtha of losing his memory and his backbone) were reprehensible, especially considering that when he was selected by George H.W. Bush as Secretary of Defense in 1989, he told Murtha, ‘I’m going to need a lot of help. I don’t know a blankety-blank thing about defense.’ It seems as though Cheney is the one who has lost his memory.”

[RWC] I did a Google search on this alleged quote. The first time it appeared was in 2000 after George Bush picked Dick Cheney as his running mate. USA Today reported this “quote” attributed to Mr. Cheney actually originated with Mr. Murtha himself.

“I also took exception to Scott McClellan comparing Murtha to Michael Moore. Although I know nothing of the military record of the White House spokesman, I do know about Cheney’s deferments. How dare they question the bravery or patriotism of the most respected member of the U.S. House of Representatives, to say nothing of his long and distinguished military career?”

[RWC] Why is comparing someone to Michael Moore suddenly a bad thing to Democrats? Until recently, Democrats lionized Moore. Are they now saying Mr. Moore isn’t brave or patriotic? Let’s remember Democrats gave Moore an “honored” seat next to Jimmy Carter in the presidential booth at the 2004 Democrat convention. Didn’t Democrats consider Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” the last word about President Bush, 9/11, and the Iraq War? Leading up to the 2004 election, the Times averaged about one letter per month praising this movie.

“We should thank God every day that we have a man of Congressman Murtha’s stature representing us.”

[RWC] Sure.