DebateGate
General Category => 3DHS => Topic started by: Christians4LessGvt on June 19, 2008, 07:32:23 PM
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IN THE MILITARY
Haditha Marine prepares to sue Murtha
over smear Congressman had accused soldiers of killing 'in cold blood'
June 18, 2008
(http://wnd.com/images2/chessani.jpg)
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani
With most of the eight Marines charged in the Haditha, Iraq, incident now exonerated, the highest-ranking officer among the accused is considering a lawsuit against Democratic Rep. John Murtha, who fueled the case by declaring the men cold-blooded killers.
In an interview with nationally syndicated radio talk host Michael Savage, the lead attorney for Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani said he and his client will look into suing Murtha and the Time magazine reporter, Tim McGuirk, who first published the accusations by Iraqi insurgents.
But the attorney, Brian Rooney, said nothing will happen immediately because he wants Chessani, described as a devout Christian and the father of six homeschooled children, completely "out of the woods" legally before any action is taken. The government, through Lt. Col. S.M. Sullivan, today filed a notice that it would appeal the case to the next judicial level.
As WND reported, a military judge at Camp Pendleton in California yesterday dismissed charges that Chessani failed to properly investigate the Nov. 19, 2005 incident in which 24 Iraqi men, women and children were killed.
Rooney, an attorney for the Thomas More Law Center who served a tour of duty in Iraq himself, is urging citizens to tell their representatives in Congress and military officials that they want the case to come to an end.
"At some point you have to have somebody in the chain of command, whether it's civilian or military, saying enough is enough," said Rooney, who served with Chessani in the second battle of Fallujah.
Rooney told Savage the Haditha case is the largest investigation in the history of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, with 65 agents assigned by the government.
The filing of charges against Chessani was approved by Gen. James Mattis, then commander of the Marine Corps Forces Central Command and commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton. Mattis has been promoted to commander of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and commander of U.S. Joint Forces.
"This is the most important case since Vietnam, if not before," Rooney said. "There's no doubt about it."
He noted the New York Times featured the case on the front page when it was being compared by war critics to the infamous My Lai massacre in Vietnam. But now, with evidence the Haditha accusations were a smear, the story has been relegated to the back pages.
The military judge, Col. Steve Folsom, dismissed Chessani's charges without prejudice, giving permission for the prosecutors to continue trying to build a case that began in December 2006.
Four Marines were charged with murder and another four with not properly investigating the incident.
Defense lawyers contend insurgents deliberately attacked the Marines from hiding places where they surrounded themselves with civilians to use as shields. The defense insisted Chessani promptly reported the events to his superiors and that nobody in the chain of command believed there was any wrongdoing on the part of the Marines.
Libel and defamation
Rooney acknowledged to Savage it's difficult to sue a sitting congressman, but he believes it can be done.
"If he leaves his realm of speaking from the congressman's point of view ? then he can be sued for libel and defamation," Rooney said.
The Time magazine story, according to Rooney, was planted by an insurgent propaganda agent. Publishing of the story was soon followed by a May 17, 2006, news conference by Murtha. The congressman announced he had been told by the highest levels of the Marine Corps there was no firefight and Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood."
"All the information I get, it comes from the commanders, it comes from people who know what they're talking about," Murtha told reporters at the time.
Murtha's assertions, however, conflicted with results from the military's own investigations. An initial probe by Army Col. G.A. Watt found no indications coalition forces "intentionally targeted, engaged and killed noncombatants." Later, Army Maj. Gen. Aldon Bargewell found no cover-up.
Nevertheless, the Marine Corps eventually brought charges against Chessani and seven other Marines.
But now the cases against Lance Cpls. Stephen Tatum and Justin Sharratt, Capts. Randy Stone and Lucas McConnell and Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz have been dropped. First Lt. Andrew Grayson has been acquitted, leaving only the case of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich untested in court and Chessani prosecutors facing the hurdles of the appeal process.
WND previously reported a military jury of seven officers acquitted Grayson of all charges.
The ruling by Col. Folsom yesterday followed a previous decision in which he confirmed evidence of unlawful command influence.
The evidence indicated two generals who controlled Chessani's case were influenced by Marine lawyer Col. John Ewers, who was allowed to attend at least 25 closed-session meetings in which the case was discussed.
Throwing Marines under the bus
Rooney acknowledged the Haditha case taken a toll on the Marine Corps.
"There's no doubt it's affected recruiting," he told Savage. "How could you have your sons or daughters join the Marine Corps when you're not sure the government will protect them?"
Rooney was asked by Savage why he thought Murtha, a former Marine himself, accused the officers and enlisted men.
"In my opinion, it's clear it was done during the election cycle, it was done to bolster himself in the party," the attorney said. "He was vying for a leadership position, and if he had to throw some Marines under the bus to do so, that was the cost of power for him."
He hopes soon politicians will weigh in on the case in support of Chessani and the others.
"I would think all politicians, especially politicians that have military records, should say something about this case," he said.
"In a horrible and very complex environment, when you have an enemy that's using women and children as shields, you should always give the benefit of the doubt to the Marine or soldier," said Rooney. "You should never bring him back and put him in front of a court martial."
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=67434 (http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=67434)
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We/ve been through this before in another thread. The "exoneration" of the accused was obtained by the exclusion of eye-witness evidence, particularly that of a nine-year old Iraqi girl who survived the massacre and saw the gun-barrels of the accused men firing into her family and killing them all. The evidence was not taken in Iraq and the witness was not allowed to travel to the U.S. to give evidence. In other respects too, the investigation was quietly sabotaged.
The acquittal of these murderous bastards is an outrage, an indelible stain on the American judicial process and just every bit as fraudulent as every other act of murderous aggression of this criminal regime and the killer thugs it is pleased to call an army.
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We/ve been through this before in another thread. The "exoneration" of the accused was obtained by the exclusion of eye-witness evidence, particularly that of a nine-year old Iraqi girl who survived the massacre and saw the gun-barrels of the accused men firing into her family and killing them all. The evidence was not taken in Iraq and the witness was not allowed to travel to the U.S. to give evidence. In other respects too, the investigation was quietly sabotaged.
The acquittal of these murderous bastards is an outrage, an indelible stain on the American judicial process and just every bit as fraudulent as every other act of murderous aggression of this criminal regime and the killer thugs it is pleased to call an army.
Yes we all know how eager the guilty are to have a re examination of the events they have gotten away with.
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<<Yes we all know how eager the guilty are to have a re examination of the events they have gotten away with.>>
They are when they know they'll be playing with a stacked deck.
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<<Yes we all know how eager the guilty are to have a re examination of the events they have gotten away with.>>
They are when they know they'll be playing with a stacked deck.
If the deck was stacked they would be in prison . Requireing proof of a case isn't stacking the deck against the prosicution.
Going back into court is all about the attempt to railroad innocent Marines and stack the deck against them.
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"In a horrible and very complex environment, when you have an enemy that's using women and children as shields, you should always give the benefit of the doubt to the Marine or soldier," said Rooney. "You should never bring him back and put him in front of a court martial."
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This sounds like a stacked deck to me, but stacked in favor of the Marines.
If they were entirely innocent, those civilians would not be deceased.
Suing Murtha, I predict, will result in nothing. You would have to prove malice and intent.
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<<If the deck was stacked they would be in prison. >>
Before trial? What other accused Marines spend any time in pre-trial custody?
<<Requireing proof of a case isn't stacking the deck against the prosicution.>>
No, failing to take the evidence of key surviving eye-witnesses is.
<<Going back into court is all about the attempt to railroad innocent Marines and stack the deck against them.>>
I thought they were eager to go back so they could "prove" their "innocence." Or was that just some PR bullshit their lawyer told the murdering bastards to say?
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Murtha should be much more concerned with earmark and corruption investigations than any civil suit brought by this Marine.
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Yeah, clearly Murtha is the villain in this case. He's maybe corrupt, the Marines are only implicated in massacres.
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The Marines have had their day in court.
Soon the same can be said for Murtha.
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<<The Marines have had their day in court.>>
Anyone who calls what the Marines had, "their day in court" has absolutely no fucking shame. Those murdering bastards played their role in a farce that's a disgrace to the name of justice. Please don't call it a "court."
You might be able to fool like-minded fascists with bullshit like that, but to anyone who's familiar with the facts, what happened is a fucking outrage - - the murders and doubly so, the acquittals. Nobody in the world, except the murderers and their supporters, believes in their "innocence."
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I believe in the institution of Justice, Military or Civilian, imperfect as it is.
And the reason is simple.
I believe that humanity is basically good and that most humans strive for fairness in their deliberations.
And institutions are made up of these same humans.
You apparently believe otherwise.
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<<I believe in the institution of Justice, Military or Civilian, imperfect as it is.>>
Gee, that's a surprise. Here I thought you were going to come out in favour of Lex Talionis.
<<And the reason is simple.>>
I hope so, because I'm a simple man myself.
<<I believe that humanity is basically good and that most humans strive for fairness in their deliberations.>>
Wow, so you and Anne Frank have so much in common. You're soul-mates separated by time and space. That's beautiful, BT. Just beautiful.
<<And institutions are made up of these same humans.>>
I know, and they all sing Kumbayah together, even in the U.S. military.
<<You apparently believe otherwise. >>
I'm just sunk in cynicism and depravity, BT. I'm so far gone as to believe that the U.S. military commits major war crimes and they conspire to cover them up. I mean isn't that ridiculous? That the U.S. military could ever commit a war crime? That its judicial system could ever cover it up>
BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
Why don't you can the platitudinous, sanctimonious bullshit just this once and admit the obvious, BT? Those bastards are stone-cold killers, your administration is the most corrupt in recent history and the process that led to their acquittal is a naked farce that any halfway intelligent high-school senior must realize once he or she sees how the investigation and trial preparation were handled.
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LOL......don't hold back Tee. Tell us how you really feel
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I recall Bill Clintons day in court .
Winning by one vote , strictly on party lines .
And he is exonerated.
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<<I believe in the institution of Justice, Military or Civilian, imperfect as it is.>>
Gee, that's a surprise. Here I thought you were going to come out in favour of Lex Talionis.
<<And the reason is simple.>>
I hope so, because I'm a simple man myself.
<<I believe that humanity is basically good and that most humans strive for fairness in their deliberations.>>
Wow, so you and Anne Frank have so much in common. You're soul-mates separated by time and space. That's beautiful, BT. Just beautiful.
<<And institutions are made up of these same humans.>>
I know, and they all sing Kumbayah together, even in the U.S. military.
<<You apparently believe otherwise. >>
I'm just sunk in cynicism and depravity, BT. I'm so far gone as to believe that the U.S. military commits major war crimes and they conspire to cover them up. I mean isn't that ridiculous? That the U.S. military could ever commit a war crime? That its judicial system could ever cover it up>
BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
Why don't you can the platitudinous, sanctimonious bullshit just this once and admit the obvious, BT? Those bastards are stone-cold killers, your administration is the most corrupt in recent history and the process that led to their acquittal is a naked farce that any halfway intelligent high-school senior must realize once he or she sees how the investigation and trial preparation were handled.
Course you may be wrong.
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<<Course you may be wrong. >>
Sure. Just like you may be wrong about Murtha. Maybe he's just a badly misunderstood, honest-as-the-day-is-long kind of guy. Or Osama bin Laden. He might be a really great guy too.
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Just like you may be wrong about Murtha. Maybe he's just a badly misunderstood, honest-as-the-day-is-long kind of guy.
Anything is possible. Just because he is a long time democrat politician does not mean he is a hide the cash in the freezer type of guy. Perhaps all the buzz about him is coming from jealous colleagues.
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<<Anything is possible. Just because he is a long time democrat politician does not mean he is a hide the cash in the freezer type of guy. Perhaps all the buzz about him is coming from jealous colleagues.>>
Well since you're in such a generous mood about Murtha, maybe I should lighten up on those gyrenes. Just because they're a bunch of moronic redneck professional trained killers does not mean they're Nazi SS-type guys. Perhaps the nine-year-old girl who claims to have seen them gunning down her unarmed family at point-blank range is a secret operative of the Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party operating under deep cover.
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Well since you're in such a generous mood about Murtha, maybe I should lighten up on those gyrenes. Just because they're a bunch of moronic redneck professional trained killers does not mean they're Nazi SS-type guys. Perhaps the nine-year-old girl who claims to have seen them gunning down her unarmed family at point-blank range is a secret operative of the Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party operating under deep cover.
They always say to consider the source.
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So what's the source of the accusations against Murtha?
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AP
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Cute. Who's AP's source?
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My guess is some congressman who didn't get the pork project he wanted because Murtha snatched it up.
Besides Murtha is an ex-Marine. Of course he is guilty. Probably marched around with a baby on his bayonet when he was in Nam.
You know how those guys aere.
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<<Besides Murtha is an ex-Marine. Of course he is guilty. Probably marched around with a baby on his bayonet when he was in Nam.>>
Aww, that's just a myth. Like the My Lai massacre,or water torture.
<<You know how those guys aere. >>
Sure, they spend all their time cradling injured babies tenderly in their arms while medics tend to their little baby napalm burns. They collect money and toys for orphanages. They build new fish ponds for grateful villages. Hey I'm hip Jack. I believe it all. I've seen the photos.
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so which is it?