Should John Murtha be awarded the Navy "Distinguished Public Service Award"?

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Hello All, I about fell out of my chair this morning when I read the news that last week John Murtha had been awarded the Department of the Navy "Distinguished Public Service Award". The public outrage was immediate! Honest folks, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Below are a few thoughts about this from two different sources: [i]“nominations for this award will be limited to those extraordinary cases where individuals have demonstrated exceptionally outstanding service of substantial and long term benefit to the Navy, Marine Corps, or as Department of the Navy as a whole.” "This traitor (and thief) should be behind bars. Instead, the Obama administration has seen fit to reward Mr. Murtha for his tireless perfidy against our troops – and especially the Marines (who, of course are a branch of the Navy), with the second highest award the Navy can bestow upon a civilian."[/i] http://sweetness-light.com/archive/murtha-gets-distinguished-service-award [i]"Murtha, who publicly accused U.S. Marines of cold-blooded murder in the firefight in Haditha, Iraq, and was caught on camera in the Abscam scandal appearing to negotiate over a bribe for his services, was honored by the Navy for his "selfless devotion to the Nation's Sailors and Marines." It credits him with making sure the military services "were provided the resources necessary to effectively conduct the Global War on Terrorism." "His courageous leadership, vision, and loyalty to the men and women of the Department of the Navy greatly contributed to their quality of life and helped create the most modern and highly trained fighting force in history," the honor said."[/i] http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92372 __________________________________________________________________________________ [b]There is a public campaign to force SECNAV Donald C. Winter to withdraw the award. Here is the link to join the thousands of others who are outraged that such an honor would be bestowed upon one so unworthy. http://www.petitiononline.com/usmc2009/petition.html "We the undersigned are appalled that the Secretary of the Navy would bestow the Department's highest award for a non-employee to John Murtha after his vile and despicable attacks against U.S. servicemen. This petition is a vehicle to express our bitter disappointment at this betrayal of our combat veterans. Congressman John Murtha should apologize for slandering the Marines of 3/1, and for undermining the efforts of those servicemen and women who fought in Iraq. If he does not, the Secretary of the Navy should rescind this award as a sign of his unwavering support for those who served in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom." What say you? Should the honor be stripped? Or, is Murtha deserving? [/b]