After Jack Murtha, another Pennsylvania all-star, made an art form out of shoving our troops under the bus for his own career, I never thought I’d live to see what Rep. Patrick Murphy has just done: a neatly bundled vote wrapped in the flag with a camouflage bow on top. And a price tag.
From the four-star Commandant of the Marine Corps on down to squad leaders, real fighting men everywhere are screaming from the tops of their lungs that repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) now is a mistake. Even proponents like Secretary Gates have urged caution and delay, but Pelosi and her government-hijacking pirates found the perfect pocket patriot to lead their charge into this Memorial Day weekend.
While our nation mourns its soldiers and those of us who have survived are left to console the grieving families of our brothers, I am seeing red at what I believe is Murphy’s violation of a sacred trust. He spearheaded legislation to further a liberal agenda that is funding his campaign, at the expense of our military readiness. In uniform and in the Congress, you swear an oath to defend the constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. Where in that oath is the price ‘negotiable’?
How dare I impugn the motivation of a congressman that conveniently serves as the “GI-issue” battering ram of the majority party? Save your outrage for just a second. Well actually it took this dumb grunt about three hours (a journalism intern could have done it in half that) scanning FEC filings to learn all that I need to know about Patrick Murphy: His congressional seat was bought and paid for by MoveOn.org to the tune of $90,000 dollars. You know, the group that brought you such patriotic hits as “General Betray-us.” Still outraged?
Okay, so radical groups that have actively worked to weaken America helped launch Murphy’s career, so what? That’s so 2006 and what does that have to do with DADT? What if you learned that an influential lobbying group with a steel and glass office tower in D.C. had spent over $10 million to influence Democrats from Obama, to Pelosi on down to Mr. Murphy? What if those same liberal special interests had invested more money in Murphy’s candidacy than almost any other congressional candidate this cycle? Would you think it was a coincidence?
No one asked that question during Murphy’s recent press conference with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) on the steps of the capitol. No one asked him how much Transgender, Gay & Lesbian Special Interest PAC money bought his vote. No one asked how much it cost to trade on his little 82nd Airborne Division lapel pin and throw his brothers under the bus. Was it $20,000? But this is about fairness right? Was it $30,000? But this is good for the troops right? Nope, and its more like $40,000 of easily searchable contributions. You can only guess what the real figure is, but I’ll tell you who is really going to pay for it: our troops and more importantly, the mission.
You see all of this money-buys-influence business makes it hard for me to have a legitimate debate with the guy on the policy aspects of DADT repeal, but don’t take it from me. After all I’m an easily dismissed “Jack Bauer Republican” according to the Daily Kos.
Ask Medal of Honor-winning gunfighters that have had to kill people for a living what they think of this nonsense, not armchair quarterbacks in air-conditioned Quonset huts sipping diet Cokes and i-chatting on Skype. Real grunts, like Major General Livingston, USMC (retired), will tell you what the active guys can’t say: this repeal of DADT is a bunch of PC BS.
Forgive the acronyms, I’m just a simple Marine grunt that’s fought in a couple of wars. I don’t pretend to be an expert, but I sure don’t like it when my national security is traded away to build liberal campaign slush funds. Oh and there is the rub, Murphy is packaged and sold a Blue Dog. In fact he’s one of the top three Blue Dog fundraisers and a top tier recipient of the Blue Dog PAC’s money. Even Murphy’s PAC, “Take the Hill” (must be JAG office-humor-code), is a max recipient of Blue Dog PAC money.
But aren’t these guys supposed to be conservative? Isn’t that what they tell people? That they are just Democrats in Name Only (DINOs) but underneath are really closet Republicans? Well it looks like the Blue Dogs have turned into well-fed lap dogs now that they have let Pelosi’s wolves into the hen house.
Its time to put these dogs out.
Ilario Pantano enlisted in the Marine Infantry at 17 and fought in the Gulf War. After witnessing the attacks of 9/11, Pantano returned to the Marines and fought in Falluja as an Infantry officer. He is currently the GOP nominee for the US Congress in North Carolina’s 7th District. www.PantanoForCongress.com
