In order to entice as many troops in the "liberal army" to come to Johnstown, Pennsylvania this October 1st to counter the "swift boaters" rally against Congressman John Murtha, let me give you my perspective of the region. Johnstown is nestled in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania. The city and
Cambria County have a rich, diverse history. Ok, I lied, it's not really that rich, but it is diverse and interesting as hell.
To start off, the "Vets for the Truth" have effectively thought through the date for the rally, October 1st. I say this only because the
Pittsburgh Steelers don't have a game on this day, and if there's one thing about western Pennsylvania I know, everything shuts down when the Steelers are playing. This part of the country is filled with tight knit communities consisting of southern and eastern European heritage. It truly shines during the summer when everyone gets together for Catholic Parish festivals and volunteer firemen carnivals complete with polka music,
haluski and kegs upon kegs of beer. Everybody knows everybody because at one time it seemed that every person's father had either worked in the steel mills or the coal mines with somebody. All the workers were drawn into a sort of brotherhood that I grew up respecting: the Union.
To put it bluntly, if you were a
"scab" or non supportive of the
UMWA or
Steelworkers Union in anyway, then you were not welcome in Cambria County. I'm only 18 years old, but I have seen the bond that union brothers have for one another. While I was growing up, my father was the president of a UMWA local that went on strike. Talk about hard times. Cambria County was a consistently blue county since the 1950s, despite its social conservative views, because of the power of labor. Then in the late 70s and early 80s something devastating happened, the steel industry died.
Johnstown was the center of steel making for the region and when it fell through it was the death of Johnstown and Cambria County. To make the steel, you needed the coal, which came from the middle of the county. Without the need for steel, there was less of a need for coal, so the coal industry suffered. To mine, you needed strong wooden beams to support the mines, so when the mines fell through, so did logging in the northern part of the county. A lot of people lost their jobs. Enter John Murtha.
John Murtha has been the cornerstone for the rebuilding of Cambria County. People from out of town often ask why there is a Lockheed-Martin factory in Johnstown and all you need to say is "because of Murtha." One person held a sign at the rally that said "Got jobs? Yes, because of Jack." Now these damn swift boaters want to come in here and take our man out, after everything he's done for us. It'll be a cold day in hell before we let that happen.
Everyone associated with this effort here love the support our congressman is getting from around the country. We would love to see you here on October 1st. Come on out and enjoy some
pierogis, kielbasa and we can support Jack together and nip these guys in the bud.