Update on The King of Pork

UPDATE - Original Story

More news is coming out about John Murtha's personal airport. Now we find out that he forced the Pentagon to spend over $30 Million to upgrade the runways to handle the largest military planes, even though this is a small commuter airport that hardly anyone uses...except Murtha himself, of course.

"Some locals call the Johnstown airport "Fort Murtha" because of the stream of wartime projects at the facility. Although its runway is capable of servicing the largest airplanes in North America, the airport now is used only by small commuter planes that make six trips a day back and forth to Washington Dulles International Airport.

Many of the commercial flights, which are subsidized by federal transportation dollars, carry only a handful of passengers. On a recent visit, all of the departing flights were less than half full, and one had only four passengers -- screened by seven federal airport personnel. "

Four passengers, on taxpayer subsidized flights, screened by seven personnel paid by taxpayer money. Sounds like a huge military hub to me.

"Nobody wants to say no to Congressman Murtha or make him mad because he controls defense appropriations," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government watchdog group. "Murtha wanted an airport, and he knew he could get one. It's like he's a billionaire, except it's not his money."

It's OUR money.

"Murtha also pushed for the Pentagon to install a state-of-the-art digital radar surveillance system to spot weather systems more than 100 miles away. But the $8.6 million radar tower has not been used since it was completed in 2004.

The National Guard Bureau says this kind of radar is not part of its plans or priorities, though the Pennsylvania-based unit argues that the radar is a "perfect complement" to its air traffic control unit's mission. The Guard has been paying roughly $1,500 a month to keep the unmanned radar spinning and says it hopes to get staff in the future for the facility.

A spokesman said the Guard has "no problem" paying the electric bill."

$8.6 Million for a radar that has never been used. $1500 per month for five years to keep it spinning, and it's NEVER BEEN USED.

Of COURSE they don't have a problem paying the bill. It's OUR MONEY, not theirs.

Face it. If this were a Republican, the media would be all over this story. Couric, Olbermann, Chris Matthews, and all the other leftie goobers would be coming unglued over this obvious waste of taxpayer money.

This is not just misappropriations. This is grand theft.