Another attempt at Democratic...

[Yonivore]

...undermining of the War in Iraq appears to be crumbling.

Marine Investigator Recommends Dropping Charges in Haditha Killings

The government’s theory that Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt had executed the three men was “incredible” and relied on contradictory statements by Iraqis, Lt. Col. Paul Ware said in the report, released Tuesday by Sharratt’s defense attorneys.

“To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, and sets a dangerous precedent that, in my opinion, may encourage others to bear false witness against Marines as a tactic to erode public support of the Marine Corps and mission in Iraq,” Ware wrote.

Defense attorneys James Culp and Gary Myers said in a statement that he was pleased with the report and that it “reflected the value of the calm of a courtroom and the adversarial process.”

Sharratt’s mother Theresa said she was overjoyed.

“This is a huge result, that report is a declaration of Justin’s innocence,” she said. “This is very, very good news.”

Lance Corporat Sharratt's parents are cons uents of Democrat John Murtha. I wonder if they'll get an apology for him calling their son a "cold-blooded murderer."

[clambake]

i doubt it, but who knows. how many pardons are available. is the number endless? can an innocent man be fried just because of the hate directed toward an imbecile?

Let's just burn those responsible, and bring the innocent home

[Yonivore]

I say we all review our posts in this thread and see who was closest to being correct.

Anybody want to admit they were wrong about Haditha "murders?"

[clambake]

OJ walked. What's your point? Are you going to say that you believe only what you want to believe?

[Nbadan]

Liberal conspiracy? Opppssiieee....The Nation has do ented cases by eye-witnesses, the soldiers themselves...

Over the past several months The Nation has interviewed fifty combat veterans of the Iraq War from around the United States in an effort to investigate the effects of the four-year-old occupation on average Iraqi civilians. These combat veterans, some of whom bear deep emotional and physical scars, and many of whom have come to oppose the occupation, gave vivid, on-the-record accounts. They described a brutal side of the war rarely seen on television screens or chronicled in newspaper accounts.

Their stories, recorded and typed into thousands of pages of transcripts, reveal disturbing patterns of behavior by American troops in Iraq. Dozens of those interviewed witnessed Iraqi civilians, including children, dying from American firepower. Some participated in such killings; others treated or investigated civilian casualties after the fact. Many also heard such stories, in detail, from members of their unit. The soldiers, sailors and marines emphasized that not all troops took part in indiscriminate killings. Many said that these acts were perpetrated by a minority. But they nevertheless described such acts as common and said they often go unreported--and almost always go unpunished.

Court cases, such as the ones surrounding the massacre in Haditha and the rape and murder of a 14-year-old in Mahmudiya, and news stories in the Washington Post, Time, the London Independent and elsewhere based on Iraqi accounts have begun to hint at the wide extent of the attacks on civilians. Human rights groups have issued reports, such as Human Rights Watch's Hearts and Minds: Post-war Civilian Deaths in Baghdad Caused by U.S. Forces, packed with detailed incidents that suggest that the killing of Iraqi civilians by occupation forces is more common than has been acknowledged by military

The Nation

[Yonivore]

Liberal conspiracy? Opppssiieee....The Nation has do ented cases by eye-witnesses, the soldiers themselves...

The Nation

Wasn't Jesse Macbeth one of those nuts?

[Oh, Gee!!]

I didn't know that the democratic party was trying this case? seems to me like the marines are handling this mess on their own terms. and as far as what Murtha said, let the voters decide what to do about that.

[Yonivore]

I didn't know that the democratic party was trying this case?

You haven't been paying attention. Murtha and his cronies have already tried and convicted the Haditha Marines. What I find particularly di able is that one of the accused, the subject of this latest article, and his parents are cons uents of Murtha's.

seems to me like the marines are handling this mess on their own terms. and as far as what Murtha said, let the voters decide what to do about that.

So, you completely discount the chilling effect Murtha's ignorant statements may have on the troops' ability to be decisive in combat? C'mon, if I knew I was going to be hauled out into the court of public opinion by a U. S. Congressman with untempered rantings of my guilt, I might be a little hesitant the next time I'm confronted with a situation even remotely similar to the one faced by those Marines in Haditha. And, the situation probably arises quite frequently.

[George Gervin's Afro]

You haven't been paying attention. Murtha and his cronies have already tried and convicted the Haditha Marines. What I find particularly di able is that one of the accused, the subject of this latest article, and his parents are cons uents of Murtha's.


So, you completely discount the chilling effect Murtha's ignorant statements may have on the troops' ability to be decisive in combat? C'mon, if I knew I was going to be hauled out into the court of public opinion by a U. S. Congressman with untempered rantings of my guilt, I might be a little hesitant the next time I'm confronted with a situation even remotely similar to the one faced by those Marines in Haditha. And, the situation probably arises quite frequently.

Yoni that's a stretch. From the interviews that I have seen most of the guys over in Iraq don't seem to care about what is going on at home. They are more concerned about the guys next to them than the political happenings in Washington.

[Yonivore]

Yoni that's a stretch. From the interviews that I have seen most of the guys over in Iraq don't seem to care about what is going on at home. They are more concerned about the guys next to them than the political happenings in Washington.

Really?

Murtha's condemnation of the United States Marines as "cold-blooded killers" was replayed endlessly, ad naseum, on al Jazeera across the Middle East and Arabia, including Iraq.

You don't think Iraqis who watched one of our own Congressmen calling his own service men "cold-blooded killers" impacted the ability of our military to form relationships with the Iraqis they encountered on a daily basis?

You think it had a positive impact on the trust issues that have dogged our war in Iraq from day one?

It's stupid to believe Murtha's words did not have a negative impact on morale and operations in Iraq. Just plain stupid.

I think Murtha should be kicked out of Congress and tried for treason. What he did undermined the war effort and gave aid and comfort to the enemy. It was a seditious and treasonous act.

[clambake]

It's stupid to believe Murtha's words did not have a negative impact on morale and operations in Iraq. Just plain stupid.

You're reaching, here. They can all look across the bunker and determine who's a jarhead. As a group, they'd all feel relief with an idiots removal.

I think Murtha should be kicked out of Congress and tried for treason. What he did undermined the war effort and gave aid and comfort to the enemy. It was a seditious and treasonous act.

Kicked out and tried for treason? You're ting me. If that could happen he'd be at the end of a very long line. The enemy doesn't give a about comfort and aid. If they did, they wouldn't blow themselves up.

[Oh, Gee!!]

You haven't been paying attention. Murtha and his cronies have already tried and convicted the Haditha Marines.

and what prison sentence did they hand down?

So, you completely discount the chilling effect Murtha's ignorant statements may have on the troops' ability to be decisive in combat?

I agree that it was stupid on Murtha's part, but I think you're exaggerating the effect Murtha's words have had. The war is still raging, and the Marines are doing a good job regardless of what Murtha said.

C'mon, if I knew I was going to be hauled out into the court of public opinion by a U. S. Congressman with untempered rantings of my guilt, I might be a little hesitant the next time I'm confronted with a situation even remotely similar to the one faced by those Marines in Haditha. And, the situation probably arises quite frequently.

Well, you'll have to volunteer to fight before you need to worry about being put in those situations.

[Wild Cobra]

and what prison sentence did they hand down?

What I have noticed is that they were tried in the media.

Murtha continues to talk about how guilty they are, yet they have had no trial. Fine example of upholding the principle innocent till proven guilty, huh?

[spurster]

This case is a little more complicated.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/wo...t/12abuse.html

...

Lance Corporal Sharratt is one of three enlisted members of Company K, Third Battalion, First Marines, who were charged with murder in connection with actions taken in the hours after an insurgent bomb killed one marine as a convoy drove through Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005.

Two other marines, Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich and Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, also face murder charges in connection with the deaths of 21 other Iraqis who the military’s prosecutors said were civilians. Hearings to examine the charges against those marines are to begin later this summer.

Four officers, including the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani, were charged with dereliction of duty for failing to investigate adequately the Haditha killings, which occurred during a violent day of fighting against Sunni Arab insurgents. The investigator looking into the case of Capt. Randy W. Stone, a battalion lawyer and another of the four officers, recommended dismissing the charges in favor of a lesser, administrative punishment.

The investigator in Colonel Chessani’s case has recommended that the charges against him proceed to court-martial, said the Thomas More Law Center, which is representing Colonel Chessani for free.

Hearings for the other three officers are to begin in the coming months.

...

[Jamtas#2]

Really?

Murtha's condemnation of the United States Marines as "cold-blooded killers" was replayed endlessly, ad naseum, on al Jazeera across the Middle East and Arabia, including Iraq.

You don't think Iraqis who watched one of our own Congressmen calling his own service men "cold-blooded killers" impacted the ability of our military to form relationships with the Iraqis they encountered on a daily basis?

You think it had a positive impact on the trust issues that have dogged our war in Iraq from day one?

It's stupid to believe Murtha's words did not have a negative impact on morale and operations in Iraq. Just plain stupid.

I think Murtha should be kicked out of Congress and tried for treason. What he did undermined the war effort and gave aid and comfort to the enemy. It was a seditious and treasonous act.

This may seem unfortunate, but this is just one of the things that comes with free speech. You have to take the good and the bad. The ability to be able to say these things is what our country was founded on. Critize the government, president, military is all protected. It doesn't mean I agree with the things that have been said, or disagree that it could hurt our troops morale. He has a right to say what he thinks. The public can choose to not elect(re-elect) people for saying these things (as well as boycott musicians aka Dixie Chicks). Your statements are protected, even though there could be consequences in the public domain for the comments. It doesn't mean the statements are treasonous and deserve government action (trials). That's a slippery slope that could cause many headaches.