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POPS3rd marine cleared of Haditha charges Officials close to the Haditha case said they think prosecutors dismissed the charges in order to pursue Wuterich aggressively at trial. The cases against three of the Marines accused of shooting civilians have fallen apart, and Wuterich remains the only one left for prosecutors to target for accountability. Wuterich led the Marine squad and allegedly told his troops, as they approached a group of civilian homes that day, to shoot first and ask questions later.
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POPSHaditha Update: Lt Andrew Grayson Arraigned One of the Marine Corps officers accused of covering up the investigation into the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq is arraigned on charges of false official statement, obstruction of justice, and attempting to fraudulently separate from the Marine Corps.
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POPSReconstruction work credited with helping cut violence in Iraq
Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, the contingent's new commanding general, discussed the upcoming deployments, various improvements in Iraq and related topics during a media roundtable yesterday on the base. Camp Pendleton's Marines are returning to Anbar as violence there is declining. Helland said cities are slowly refilling as families who fled violence are going back home. Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, the commanding general of Camp Pendleton-based 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said the level of violence in Anbar has declined. “People are riding buses. Kids are playing soccer in streets,” he said. “That didn't happen a year ago.” Other military commanders and defense analysts agree the Marine Corps' reconstruction work reflects a growing sense of calm and relative normalcy in Anbar. Shortly after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the province gained notoriety because of major insurgent cells in places such as Fallujah, Ramadi and Haditha. The region became known as the Triangle of
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POPSMarine to be Court Martialled for Haditha Massacre America's "best and bravest"--killing 24 civilians? At worst he gets 2 years in the brig. Two others might be tried to. Talk about breach of justice. So who escaped the prosecution...surely someone is guilty for the killing of 24 unarmed civilians! War crime. Clearly the military laws of engagement were violated by someone; the perpetrators have found cover somehow.
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POPSMarine Lawyer Alleges Military Injustices Although we don't agree on every issue, Lt. Col. Colby Vokey sound as if he is a man of principal that I could respect. It's too bad he thinks the military justice system is so broken he must leave the Marine Corps.
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POPS The Other War: Iraq Vets Bear Witness 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 authorities.
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POPSTwo marines to face Haditha trial Eight US soldiers were originally charged in connection with the killings, which sparked international outrage. After a report in Time magazine showed flaws in the initial marine statement, a preliminary investigation was begun. The inquiry confirmed civilians had been shot in their homes, but described the deaths as "collateral damage". Sad, all around.
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POPSHaditha Marines Cleared Of Murdering Civilians - Military Justice Or Injustice Who is the impartial jury anyway? Oh that’s right it’s the military, they try their own. Why? Well that’s who their peers are of course and only they know what it’s like to be confronted with the threat of unarmed, seventy-six year old Abdul Hamid, blind and in a wheelchair and why slaughtering him in cold blood is justified. Local coroners’ reports say Hamid was shot in the stomach and head and that his wife and five other unarmed relatives were also killed by multiple gunshot wounds. Four others inside the house survived, including ten year old, Iman who said this, The Americans came into the room where my father was praying and shot him. They went to my grandmother and killed her, too. Meet the decider, Lt. General John Mattis. Mattis, known as "Mad Dog Mattis" to his troops, is currently commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Virginia. The General whose job it is to decide the fate of the Haditha marines has said,
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POPSHispanic - Patriot - Illegal Immigrant More: Earlier this year President George Bush commuted the sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff. In so doing, the President spared Libby two and a half years in prison for his conviction for lying to federal investigators. The President cited Libby's "exceptional public service" and prior lack of a criminal record as explanation for his action. He concluded that Libby's sentence was "excessive" and the punishment "harsh." In light of the sacrifice made by Armando Soriano, one wonders whether deporting his father is a far more "excessive" and "harsh" punishment?
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POPS Marine tells of order to execute Haditha women and children "After leaving the room Mendoza told Tatum what he had found. "I told him there were women and kids inside there. He said 'Well, shoot them,'" Mendoza told prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel Sean Sullivan. "And what did you say to him?" Sullivan asked. "I said 'But they're just women and children.' He didn't say nothing." Mendoza said he returned to a position at the front of the house and heard a door open behind him followed by a loud noise. Returning later that afternoon to retrieve bodies, Mendoza said he found a room full of corpses."
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POPSHaditha Fauxtography It's not like we haven't seen photoshopped images BEFORE passed as significant news. http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=21956_Reuters_Doctoring_Photos_from_Beirut&only http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24492_Iranian_Fauxtography_Bust&only http://michellemalkin.com/2005/10/26/demonizing-condi/ But what is disturbing is that it's being used as evidence against marines who were doing what they were trained and sent to do.
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POPSI knew Murtha reminded me of someone... Of course, the news has emerged that it was recommended by the investigator that the charges against those marines be dropped. It hasn't precipitated an apology by Murtha's office yet, though.
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POPSMore on Murtha running for cover; Haditha Marines The marines should all be set free, based on Paul Ware's report and recommendations. I don't see any way in hell that these men can be convicted now. But I do have a concern about Murtha's interfering with their constitutional right to a fair trial, given his 'marines killed innocent Iraqis in cold blood' hyperbole before he'd even been briefed. While they use the word CONSTITUTION, they ignore it and make things up; that's why they want to get rid of the electoral college.
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POPSSausages and laws It isn't as if we haven't noticed the American DOJ relying on reports like these against our own forces like the Haditha Marines. But as the Confederate Yankee points out, Michael Yon reported on the Baquba massacre in detail. The MSM finally gets around to it, since they're reluctant to report anything bad about their heroes.
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POPSMurtha runs for the hills The recommendation is that the charges be dropped. But Murtha, supported by Marxists like Code Pink and Cindy Sheehan, will have none of that! And those are his wacky nutbase.
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