Murtha intervening to protect firm convicted of illegal exports
posted at 10:15 am on August 15, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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The Washington Post reports that Rep. John Murtha has written the State Department asking them to meet with a firm that illegally exported components for military night-vision goggles. Electro-Glass had no export license for the equipment, which allows the US to regulate who has access to the high-tech gear to ensure it doesn’t get used against us our our allies. They lost the ability to export for three years, which Murtha says will put them out of business:
Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat known for delivering federal money to defense contractors in his district, is now going to bat for a constituent’s company that was convicted last year of illegally exporting components of military equipment.
Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, wrote State Department officials in late June urging them to meet with the president of Electro-Glass Products, a 50-employee company that was convicted in April 2007 of illegally exporting components of night-vision goggles to a company in India. The Mammoth, Pa., firm has been sanctioned by the State Department, and Murtha argues that the action threatens to put the firm out of business.
“Electro-Glass is a highly respected company known for its honesty,” Murtha wrote. He said the company, which manufactures small glass rings called “preforms,” would not have made the shipments “if they truly believed the shipments were in violation of the law.” He added: “It will be genuinely unfortunate if they are forced to close their doors.”
Well, excuse me, but the first indication that Electro-Glass broke the law is that they didn’t get an export license for their product. That doesn’t sound terribly “honest” to me, although the concept of honesty could be foreign to a porker like Murtha. That failure suggests that Electro-Glass deliberately attempted to evade the oversight of the State Department, and that they only discovered their basic “honesty” when most criminals feel remorse: moments after getting caught.
Nor was this the first time the company found out about the requirement. State “counseled” them in 1994 for doing exactly the same thing. Ten years later, they re-offended, which is why State chose to prosecute them the second time.
The risk in these transactions is that the technology can fall into the wrong hands. We maintain a technological advantage over our enemies only as long as we protect that technology. When firms like Electro-Glass go rogue and start proliferating their components and systems, we may find our troops facing off against terrorists and foreign armies using our own weapons and systems against us, including Murtha’s fellow Marines. One would think that Murtha would put them above the cheats at Electro-Glass, but apparently Murtha has other priorities. (via Michelle)
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“Most ethical…” never mind.
Think_b4_speaking on August 15, 2008 at 10:18 AM
An all time low, even for Murtha.
TooTall on August 15, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Does one have to fail an IQ test to vote Democrat?
Akzed on August 15, 2008 at 10:21 AM
The democrat party seems to have an odd idea of who their constituents really are, and who it is that they represent as they go about their official duties.
rockhauler on August 15, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Follow the money.
CP on August 15, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Here’s another golden quote from Murtha:
“The Georgians made a little bit of a mistake and they’re paying a heavy price.”
Video at linked article.
Tinian on August 15, 2008 at 10:26 AM
If our enemies use our technology against us, does that Make this disgraceful Murtha a cold-blooded killer?
marklmail on August 15, 2008 at 10:28 AM
I hope that Murtha’s opponent already has ads out there about this latest example of Murtha’s corruption. The employees of this company probably merit some compassion but the company should be put out of business if they don’t follow the law. A 50-person company is no more above the law than Enron or Microsoft.
highhopes on August 15, 2008 at 10:29 AM
It disgusts me to think that Murtha and I are both Marines. What a dirtbag he is. Why is it not possible to convince the Marine Corps to remove his name from the rolls. The people of Pennsylvania need to defeat him in the next election and put a real patriot in office. He has been such a disgrace to our nation and my Corps.
kanda on August 15, 2008 at 10:33 AM
When you are manufacturing something that sensitive, it is your duty to determine whether or not you need an export license before exporting.
The company failed to do that. Failure to follow the rules (unless you are a Chinese gymnast) is followed by punishment. If the punishment puts them out of business, then they should have been more carefull. They can sell the licenses to another company that knows how to check the regulations before exporting.
MarkTheGreat on August 15, 2008 at 10:34 AM
If the United States wasn’t an imperialist country spending way too much money on the military industrial complex, then we wouldn’t have developed night vision goggles in the first place which places this problem directly at the feet of Republicans. There, I just wrote Our Great And Glorious Leader’s (May He Live Forever) talking points to be issued by Susan Rice…
sabbott on August 15, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Not surprised.
Not yet. I’m not sure how long it will take him to approach Treasonland. His train has already departed Scum City and made a refueling stop at Hypocritia. Where will this train wreck end?
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on August 15, 2008 at 10:39 AM
God forbid him to have the same passion about protecting our Marines; he basically judged them in the media.
I would imagine Jack Murtha has giant skidmarks in his underwear.
carbon_footprint on August 15, 2008 at 10:45 AM
I have sent a campaign donation (and will continue to do so)to Bill Russell who is running against this scumball. Here’s the link if some of you don’t know too much about this great guy. p.s. I’m from Texas and not PA.
Neocon Peg on August 15, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Oops, linkee no workie:
http://russellbrigade.com/about-bill-russell/
Neocon Peg on August 15, 2008 at 10:46 AM
boy … there is a double entendre if I ever saw one.
garry on August 15, 2008 at 10:46 AM
From an e-mail I received from the Russel campaign:
Since Bill’s return from active duty on August 1st, we’ve been overwhelmed by the strong grassroots support we’re receiving from all over Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District and beyond.
Here are a few things you need to know:
First, since the 2nd Quarter FEC filings (the one that showed us beating Jack Murtha by some $500,000), we’ve added an astounding $500,000 more. The bigger news is that the average contribution was $50! Help keep the momentum going strong!
I’m thinking this train wreck will end with the next election.
becki51758 on August 15, 2008 at 10:46 AM
You are incorrect. You, yourself, are either a Marine (currently serving) or a Former Marine (retired or honorably discharged and still upholding “Corp values”). murtha is an ex-Marine, i.e., one who may have been in the Marines for a period of time, but through their own actions is a total disgrace and embarrassment to Marines, Former Marines, and the American public.
rbb on August 15, 2008 at 10:48 AM
Fixed it for you, John.
Kafir on August 15, 2008 at 10:49 AM
Remember, Charles Whitman and Lee Harvey Oswald were Marines as well. There are a few bad men in the few good men.
This shall not tarnish their amazing honor.
carbon_footprint on August 15, 2008 at 10:51 AM
… just doing everything they can for their base ….
wise_man on August 15, 2008 at 10:51 AM
This=Murtha
Their=the honorable Marines.
carbon_footprint on August 15, 2008 at 10:52 AM
We do live in amazing times , with technology like this that approaches miracle status.
Therefore we must remember the simpler, more clear ways of earlier times.
Like the times when scum like this would be publicly humiliated and ridden out of town on a rail.
bbz123 on August 15, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Don’t underestimate the power of incumbency. I was certain that I’d be rid of William Jefferson and Ray Nagin two years ago…. Both still in a position to cause harm.
highhopes on August 15, 2008 at 10:59 AM
I just have assume I have no empathy at all, try as I will I do not and cannot see a reason to vote for a Democrat.
Cindy Munford on August 15, 2008 at 11:03 AM
Isn’t that true no matter what you are manufacturing? There wasn’t some set of super-secret rules Electro-Glass was forced to understand. They simply didn’t obey the laws that every exporter has to comply with. Then, after being admonished once, they continued to disobey the law and TEN years later were prosecuted.
That they manufacture parts for military equipment that may find its way into our enemies hand and a US Congressman is putting the troops in second place to this company makes this matter utterly disgusting. Too bad the State Department can’t slap sanctions on Murtha’s fat rear end.
highhopes on August 15, 2008 at 11:07 AM
Well, it seems everytime he opens his mouth he manages to p*** off more American people. I dont underestimate the power he has..or the power of the pork he brings into Johnstown.
I dont live in the 12th congressional district in Pa, so I can only speak for myself and other Republican voters in my town. We are all sick of him and are donating to Bill Russell.
I can only hope this bad publicity will be his downfall.
becki51758 on August 15, 2008 at 11:08 AM
I’m guessing most Marines don’t think of Murtha as one of them. I see him frequently referred to as an ex-Marine. Which is at it should be.
KrisinNE on August 15, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Ethics and John Murtha like oil and water.
JimK on August 15, 2008 at 11:09 AM
The Plan
A. Back off and let those men who want to marry men, marry men.
B. Allow those women who want to marry women, marry women.
C. Allow those folks who want to abort their babies, abort their babies.
D. In about three generations or less…. there will be no Democrats.
highhopes on August 15, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Highhopes: there’s only two flaws with that plan: 1) too many dead babies.
2) The educational system keeps brainwashing more people.
Vanceone on August 15, 2008 at 11:21 AM
How in the world can the good people of Pennsylvania keep electing this crooked pig?
rplat on August 15, 2008 at 11:30 AM
People of Pennsylvania, you nust recognize what Murtha is and vote him out of office…..
robo on August 15, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Same reason William Jefferson was re-elected after being caught with a freezer full of marked cash-
Murtha may be a crooked pig but he’s THEIR crooked pig.
highhopes on August 15, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Security by obscurity. Genius.
The Constitution is overrated anyway…..
LimeyGeek on August 15, 2008 at 11:36 AM
You begin to wonder. But then, recent graduates of the government school system show up, and you know the answer is yes. They simply have no fact base which they can rely on to draw conclusions. If this weren’t so, anyone with rudimentary education in physics, chemistry and math would know AGW is a hoax.
tarpon on August 15, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Just like you Johnny……priceless!
Great picture Ed
dmann on August 15, 2008 at 11:38 AM
Sounds like Murtha is short of campaign cash. BTW, how’s that race shaping up?
Dusty on August 15, 2008 at 11:43 AM
I am a Marine and will admit that seeing him referred to as a Marine is infuriating. He served honorably in the Marine Corps and remains deserving of the title, regardless of his obvious “indiscretions” as a public servant. Murtha is an example that not all Marines are paragons of virtue, morality, and honor. Some of us make mistakes and run for congress.
blankminde on August 15, 2008 at 11:53 AM
I just love how he’ll stand up for a convicted business that was caught red handed, and yet he’ll speculate wildly about Haditha and declare the Marines guilty without knowing jack or giving them a chance to go to trial.
ViperPilot on August 15, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Having dealt with export licenses myself in the past, I would have to note that the issue is perhaps not as cut-and-dried as it would appear.
By default, most items can be exported without significant restrictions. In the Western world, specifically in the US, it’s sometimes hard to remember how sophisticated our manufacturing processes are — if you have a lump of glass (essentially what a “preform” is), you tend to think of it in the same way as you think of a rock. It’s raw material, and the fancy stuff happens to it later. The fact that a 99.999999% pure “rock” is the end-result of a lot of technology can be overlooked.
That said, it can be overlooked once. Having tangled with export controls before, the company should certainly have been “on notice” about the issue. The question at the forefront of my mind would be, “how much of the management team had been there when the incident happened 10 years ago?”
If they’ve had turnover in management, then the company then and the company now might as well be different companies…..but if it’s the same people, they should have learned.
cthulhu on August 15, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Discussion elevated. Thanks for the insight.
blankminde on August 15, 2008 at 12:00 PM
I agree with you, but there is a small point I’d like to add.
I’m glad that we tend to not overlook that fact that a 99.999999% pure lump of rock (uranium) has a fairly limited end use, and is controlled. My guess is that the pure rock you mentioned likewise has a fairly limited end use. Therefore, the “we didn’t know” routine fails the smell test.
BobMbx on August 15, 2008 at 12:16 PM
How much has Electro Glass contributed to Porky’s campaign funds?
GarandFan on August 15, 2008 at 12:22 PM
+1
Words to live by.
brtex on August 15, 2008 at 12:27 PM
“He added: “It will be genuinely unfortunate if they are forced to close their doors.”
It will be genuinely unfortunate if this sale were allowed to go through and those “preforms” ended up in the Russo-India fifth generation fighter program.
Murtha believes making money is more important than our national defense. Ex-Marine? Damn straight! Fifth generation fighters or other systems are/can be designed to kill U.S. Marines and a lot of other honorably serving members of our Armed Forces. Yet, Murtha appears more concerned about a company, a small one at that, closing its doors?
If this attempt to lean on the Executive Branch by Murtha for monetary gain is not investigated by the feds and prosecuted with alacrity by DOJ if the money trail leads to Murtha [now how hard is that to determine?] we really need to rethink how stupid we can be.
coldwarrior on August 15, 2008 at 12:27 PM
Murtha cannot be out-done when it comes to low… When he hits the bottom, he gets out his pick-axe and shovel and heads for China.
I’ve posted it here at least twice. I knew Murtha was a criminal before he slithered onto the U.S. stage. This man is no friend of the U.S., no friend of the U.S. military and no friend of integrity.
Claypigeon on August 15, 2008 at 12:31 PM
umm…that would be the people of the 12th Congressional district.
Please,please dont blame the rest of us same Pennsylvanians.
becki51758 on August 15, 2008 at 12:33 PM
oops..I meant saNe.
becki51758 on August 15, 2008 at 12:34 PM
this guy is pathetic.
we need to chop him up and cook him. with all that pork he’d make a great BLT.
blatantblue on August 15, 2008 at 12:45 PM
or, we could always just chop him up and throw him in some dirty corner of Trenton NJ
blatantblue on August 15, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Murtha’s stash of rupees must be running low.
Murtha’s last opponent ran a feisty race. This time Bill Russell’s campaign may actually unseat the porker.
Russell’s campaign motto is “Country First”. Donations are coming from all over the US. Go, Bill!
onlineanalyst on August 15, 2008 at 12:45 PM
The only permanent residency this dumb-ass should have, is being a water boy at GITMO!
byteshredder on August 15, 2008 at 1:09 PM
this man ia a traitor
urbancenturion on August 15, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Oh c’mon. Let’s give “Murth” another chance…
What? We already did? Oh, okay. Nemmine.
whitetop on August 15, 2008 at 1:39 PM
Having refused to sell equipment which could have military applications, even when it wasn’t on the restricted list, to Mainland China, this is more disgusting than usual.
Nobody can sell something on the restricted list to anybody in India, without an export ticket, in any conscience.
These guys should be put out of business, they give the rest of us a bad name. And Fat John should be ground up and used for dog food.
Harry Schell on August 15, 2008 at 1:44 PM
The man has absolutely no shame. If ever questioned about this he will certainly chime in with his “I served three tours of duty as a Marine…” quip. What a horses ass.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you horse lovers or any horses reading this. :-)
cannonball on August 15, 2008 at 1:49 PM
Wow - that really is very gracious of you. Especially in light of how he treated the Marines involved in Haditha. Murtha is a pox.
KrisinNE on August 15, 2008 at 1:54 PM
So as long as the military service is honorable nothing else matters? Serial killers are still “Marines” so long as they did it after getting out of the Corps? Sorry but I think Murtha’s dishonorable service as a Congressman, including his comments about the troops, trumps any residual honor he had by serving in the Marine Corps.
highhopes on August 15, 2008 at 2:09 PM
highhopes on August 15, 2008 at 2:09 PM –
It is a sympton of the age in which we live.
So few Americans today have served in the Armed Forces.
Thus, especially among the younger 18-35 crowd, there is this tendency to say “gee, he was in the Marines, or Army…so we have to “honor” his service and cut him slack when he screws up.”
As if being in the Armed Forces is a free pass to indiscretions in later life. [Guess it beats the attitude I got from the 18-35 crowd back in the day as a fresh out of basic training E-nothing at San Francisco International. I had to launder my uniform from the stuff that was spit on me or thrown at me for being a "baby killer."]
I served. But other than that 5 or 10 point preference in federal hiring (and the skills I acquired while in uniform and my GI Bill) that is all the “free pass” I expected. Most in uniform today and most who really served honorably would expect the same, and would not desire to be held less accountable for their after service actions.
Among the press and pundits, it is a personal attack in these days to call on the carpet anyone “who served honroably?”
Every time I see that Alan Colmes guy preface his commentary toward a vet, saying “Thank you for your service” I give Colmes no credence at all.
I interpret Colmes’ comments as meaning “what a maroon…wasn’t smart enough to go to college or get a real job.” The Freudian slip of Kerry’s about being stupid and going to Iraq showed the depth of his contempt for fellow veterans and serving members of the armed forces.
Murtha tops the cake, and he is by no means the only such scoundrel out there having a coterie of followers willing to give him a pass because “gee, he was a soldier.”
coldwarrior on August 15, 2008 at 3:16 PM
Murtha needs to be put against a wall
Viper1 on August 15, 2008 at 9:08 PM