Flight Pundit

The federal government prosecution team is loosing the ability to intimidate and the use of threats and scare tactics is starting to fail in the last couple cases against Marines doing the jobs other (legal)Americans won’t do…

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) - The Marine Corps dropped its case and gave full immunity Friday to a serviceman who was accused of involuntary manslaughter in a squad’s killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005.

The case against Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, 26, of Edmond, Okla., was dropped as jury selection was about to begin for his court-martial. The government has been seeking Tatum’s testimony against the squad leader, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn.

In addition to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, Tatum had been charged with reckless endangerment and aggravated assault. Tatum’s attorney, Jack Zimmerman, said there was no agreement with the government before the dismissal.

“Absolutely, there is no deal,” he said.

Zimmerman said Tatum would testify if called as a witness in future trials but that he would testify as a neutral witness, not a government witness.

But that won’t diminish the will of the liberal press and their ability to pressure the military justice system to crucify American fighting men in battle with a ruthless enemy.

Four enlisted Marines were initially charged with murder and four officers were charged with failing to investigate the deaths. Over time the case has shrunk, including removal of all murder charges. Tatum was the third enlisted Marine to have all charges dismissed.Only two officers remain charged.

Even the leadership agreed that is was within the rules of engagement and this is really only because some jackass wants to show the world how evil America is and the liberal press is supporting them in this lie.

The highest-ranking defendant is Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani of Rangley, Colo., commander of the Camp Pendleton-based 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment at the time of the Nov. 19, 2005, Haditha killings. Chessani, accused of dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order, has said he didn’t order a formal investigation because he believed the deaths resulted from lawful combat.

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The whining and temper tantrums have begun, again. In earnest.

WASHINGTON — Democrats and human rights advocates criticized President Bush’s veto Saturday of a bill that would have banned the CIA from using simulated drowning and other coercive interrogation methods to gain information from suspected terrorists.

Bush said such tactics have helped foil terrorist plots. His critics likened some methods to torture and said they sullied America’s reputation around the world.

Yeah…well our reputation is only as good as our ability to survive attacks and acts of war against us. Prior to 9-11-01, much of the world viewed the US as an impotent giant. Much to the Democrats and others’ pleasure.

“Were it not for this program, our intelligence community believes that al-Qaida and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the American homeland,” the president said.

I agree. While some people cry like babies about how water boarding is harmful to human beings, I can only imagine what the people who were inside the WTC buildings were thinking on the morning of September 11 2001.

I dare to say, if they knew, they would have much preferred to be water boarded than pulverized to death in the collapse of those towers.

Heck, I bet they would have preferred we water boarded those 19 Islamafreakoids had we suspected such an attack was being plotted and soon carried out.

But who cares about them? Not Democrats. Or human rights advocates. Fuck no. A few thousand lives here and there are the price to pay for being…humane… and we should view these lives as an expendable price for human rights.

“The president’s refusal to sign this crucial legislation into law will undermine counterterrorism efforts globally and delay efforts to rebuild U.S. credibility on human rights,” said Elisa Massimino, Washington director for Human Rights First.

May I ask? Who the fuck gives a shit about the human rights of people who have no respect for humanity? When we are at a point in time where the rights of criminals and terrorists take precedent over their potential victims, we’re in sad times for sure.

X Posted @ ARS

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Ruling by politics isn’t a good thing. It never has been and is extremely anti American.

A California judge rejected a foster teen’s request for early enlistment with the Marine Corps — and a $10,000 signing bonus — reportedly on the grounds that the judge didn’t approve of the Iraq war.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Marilyn Mackel denied 17-year-old Shawn Sage’s request to join the military last October, according to a report in the Los Angeles Daily News.

“The judge said she didn’t support the Iraq war for any reason we’re over there,” Marine recruiter Sgt. Guillermo Medrano of the Simi Valley U.S. Marine Corps recruiting office told the paper.

“She just said all recruiters were the same — that they ‘all tap dance and tell me what I want to hear.’ She said she didn’t want him to fight in it.”

The kid is going to join the Marines in June- so the judge here had little impact.

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I found this site through a Google Alert. I haven’t checked it out fully, but from what I can see it looks awesome!

The Good Guys Marine Fund.

The 64-member Good Guys of Morgan Run is a non-partisan, a-political, IRS registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since 2005, The Good Guys have organized an annual spring fund raising drive which has resulted in more than $400,000 in donations.

100% of the money donated to The Good Guys is distributed to worthy Marines wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan in the form of individual grants of $5,000 each, 24/7 emergency funds, and gasoline cards. The Good Guys work closely with U.S. Marine Corps Commanding Officers to identify candidates for grants. All expenses of the organization are underwritten and paid for by members of The Good Guys.

I’m always into helping Marines, and those who are wounded have a special place in my heart. I’m going to consider these Good Guys for future donations.

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So a Judge has decided that the non Marine, John Murtha, won’t have to testify at the hearing of one of the Marines being charged with murder.

A member of Congress who publicly condemned U.S. Marines fighting the war on terror in Iraq for killing civilians in “cold blood” is being granted an exemption that means he will not have to answer questions about his statements, including his earlier explanation that his information came from the highest levels of the Marine Command.

The exemption has come in a military court proceeding against Marine Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, one of four Marines still facing charges in the battle that erupted when a team of his Marines was attacked by insurgents in the city of Haditha.

Murtha’s statements are key to the defense of Chessani, according to officials with The Thomas More Law Center, which is representing Chessani against the charges.

“If you go back [to Murtha’s description] there was no [Improvised Explosive Device], there was no firefight, it was like there was a phantom menace,” said Brian Rooney, a spokesman for the center, told WND.

It seemed that Murtha had been given information that was privileged and confidential…instead of keeping quiet on it, he chose to go public and bash the Marines. He should be required to reveal his sources, in order to rule OUT the possibility that USMC brass was engaging in preemptive assumptions of guilt in this case. But no…Murtha won’t testify. He’s special. Lt. Col Chessani is expendable, as are all the Marines charged in the Haditha debacle.

From the Thomas More Law Center:

“This entire prosecution is politically motivated and stinks to high heaven. Denying us the right to take Murtha’s deposition so that we could show undue command influence, as well as denial of our request for production of documents in the possession of Lt. Col. Chessani’s superiors makes it impossible for us to render this loyal Marine officer the effective assistance of counsel he deserves — they are attempting to throw him under the bus. In many ways this is a trial like the one in Alice in Wonderland—the verdict first and then the trial.”

Justice? I don’t think so.

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LOL!!

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I’m speechless…and not because I have nothing to say on this. To the contrary, my words would pollute Michael’s blog into oblivion. And make Chesty Puller blush.

A Marine has a few choice, polite words though, which reflect my thoughts in a much better manner:

Dude, you’re a dumbass. Not just because you get your rocks off by abusing a puppy, but because you do so while wearing the uniform of a US Marine.
[…]
Look, we all know that grunts are a little kooky, and blood makes the grass grow, and napalm sticks to kids, and yadda yadda yadda… but c’mon. This is unsat. Do that stuff around me and you’ll get stomped.

I bet the idiOt Marine will be getting stomped very soon if he already hasn’t.

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The Marines are getting back to basics.

Trying to become predators instead of prey, Marines headed to Iraq will go through training built on advice from big-game hunters, soldiers of fortune and troops who grew up around firearms in the woods or the inner city.

“This is the most comprehensive training of its kind in our history,” said Col. Clarke Lethin, chief of staff for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.

“These are primal skills that we all have but that we evolved out of,” he added. “We are going back in time. The Marines who go through this program will never be the same. They’ll never look at the world the same again.”

The Marine Corps had not paid much attention to this low-tech combat approach since the Vietnam War. Like the other service branches, the Corps has generally gone high-tech by creating increasingly advanced weapons and developing virtual reality training.

Combat Hunter grew out of a concept by Gen. James Mattis, who has spearheaded the formation of various training programs for the Marine Corps. He saw the need for greater focus on hunting-related skills while overseeing combat forces at Camp Pendleton in 2006.

At the time, the Marines had recently turned the corner on roadside bomb attacks that killed and maimed so many of them in Iraq. They became better at detecting improvised explosive devices and blunting their impact.

Then the insurgents changed tactics. Instead of blowing up Marines, the enemy increasingly turned to shooting them as they patrolled neighborhoods or drove by in convoys.

Mattis, known for out-of-the-box thinking, weighed his options. He considered adding Marine snipers to protect his units, but he rejected the idea because it would take too long to train and field them.

Then he hit upon the idea of Combat Hunter, a strategy that squared with the Marine Corps’ aggressive fighting style.

Good. I like primitive things. Primal things. Our enemies are lower than primitive, so it’s fitting that we return to tried and true war skills.

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Two Marines are being railroaded. They’re heroes and don’t deserve this…but the shiny Pentagon brass asses want to hang them out to crucify. This is political correctness gone MAD. Please help the Marines involved.

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Russ Vaughn points to his latest writing over at Old War Dogs.

Before you go there though, check out this web site, which introduces us to Chronic Marine Syndrome:

Symptoms to look for are:

1. Pride in oneself and the organization they represent.
2. A strong willingness to put in extra attention to detail to get the job done.
3. May wear articles of Marine clothing; T-shirts, jackets, watches, well into their 80’s.
4. Will not hesitate to stand up or put their hand over their heart, or even salute when the National Anthem is played.
5. Does not succumb easily to political correctness.
6. Is sure of who they are.
7. Is often either respected or hated by others, due to their abilities and talents.
8. May donate toys to needy kids at Christmas.
9. Some have been known to wear their hair in a high and tight well into their 90’s.
10. Will look you in the eye when talking to you.
11. Will give you a firm handshake.
12. Knows what honor, courage and commitment mean.
13. Can usually be found in some type of leadership position in whatever organization they work for.
14. Will often regard their drill instructors with the same respect as their parents.
15. Often found in either law enforcement or various professions.
16. Is extremely thorough at what they do.
17. Does not wear a bunch of patches to adorn their uniform. Their title of Marine is often sufficient.
18. Often arrives at work earlier than expected. If they wear a shirt and tie in their job, you might see the tie clip. between the third and fourth button centered.
19. Had spent time training at one of two places; Parris Island or San Diego.
20. May be able to field strip their rifle, up to 60 years after leaving active duty.
21. Can recite the nomenclature of the M1, M14 or M16.
22. May often have his pencils sharpened to a perfect precision point.
23. Will not back down from a fight.

…again, don’t ask me why Jarheads make me oh so horny.

XPosted @ ARS

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Most of you have heard about the pile of shit lawyer in Chicago that keyed a Marines Car just before he deploys back to Iraq? Right?

Marine’s car allegedly keyed by protester

By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 8, 2008 20:00:06 EST

 

…

McNulty was getting ready to go back to Iraq for a second tour a few weeks ago when he left a friend’s apartment building to find a stranger vandalizing his car.

The shiny, black, two-door car displayed a Marine Corps license plate and a couple of USMC stickers. When McNulty confronted the man, the Marine faced a tirade of “anti-war and anti-military” remarks, according to a police report.

Many of McNulty’s fellow Marines might be stunned to learn that the 26-year-old reservist didn’t punch the man in the face on the spot. Instead, he called the Chicago police.

“He wanted to let the system handle it,” said McNulty’s brother, William McNulty, in a telephone interview.

Police arrived moments later to find McNulty standing next to Jay Grodner, a 55-year-old attorney who maintains two offices in the Chicago area. Grodner denied scraping the car. He claimed his accusers were anti-Semitic and singled him out because he is Jewish. The police report notes that Grodner’s responses to police questions were “unreasonable.”

Well, this is the best part of all.

Though he might not be in the courtroom, McNulty might derive some comfort from the fact that the presiding judge is a former Marine. Circuit Court Judge William O’Malley was a lance corporal in the early 1960s and is known around the Chicago Courthouse for wearing a Marine Corps pin on his lapel and celebrating the Corps’ birthday each November.

Could be the end for this pile of shit lawyer. I know there are good people that are lawyers but how they allow people like this to remain is beyond me..

Fuck you Jay Grodner, Go to Jail!

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More living history, US Marine style.

They know he wears two hearing aids, thanks to the 105mm howitzer he manned. They know he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and made corporal. They know he has a basement room full of memorabilia after four major battles, including Saipan and Iwo Jima.

“They’d ask every once in a while, but then they’d get a dubious look on their face,” said Bien, 82, of Belle-ville. “They know some of it. I don’t think they know the depth of it.”

Four campaigns in 13 months — Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. You might think Iwo Jima was the battle that hit Bien hardest, but it was Saipan.
[…]
He and a buddy were ordered to dig a foxhole in the rain. They piled up sandbags for the walls, then decided to put on a roof of steel bars, mesh, canvas and several inches of sand to keep dry.

That night, a 75mm mortar round landed on the roof.

“We were asleep and it turned us both over. That roof saved us,” he said.

After Iwo Jima, the 4th Division was preparing for the invasion of Japan. Bien would have gone into Tokyo Bay several days after the invasion started to the south.

“Then Harry dropped the A bomb,” Bien said. “I stayed drunk for three or four days.”

He came home and drank away another $300 he got from the state. Then he became a carpenter, married the girl across the street and had six children.
[…]
“You never stop being a Marine,” he said. “I’m still a Marine.”

Semper Fi Cpl. Gordan Bien

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So the Lemoncrats are once again showing us they prefer defeat over victory. I guess this shouldn’t surprise anyone; after all- money spent on wars and national defense are monies wasted.

WASHINGTON - Democrats are not expected to take up President Bush’s war spending request until November, giving them time to calculate their next move and see if Republican support for his policies deteriorates.

Yea, calculate and connive and bicker and back stab (kind of like little kids eh?)…

“Just because this administration wears blinders, we cannot afford the limitations of their shortsighted world view,” said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a Vietnam veteran and prominent war critic.

You know every time Murtha has spoken lately and made these threats, nothing seems to come of them. I wonder why that is? Is he as useless as he should be now a days? Has he worn out his favorable image?

“There’s a lot of anger out there,” Murtha told reporters Monday at the National Press Club. “A lot of people are very unhappy with the Democrats because we haven’t been able to get anything done.”

In February, Bush requested $147 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in budget year 2008, which begins Oct. 1. As early as this week, Bush is expected to ask for another $40 billion to $50 billion.

Murtha, who chairs the House committee that oversees military spending, estimated Congress is likely to ignore the request until November.

Congress could pass a stopgap funding measure that would include money for the war.

I doubt Congress will stop funding. To do so would prove to the American people, for and against this war, that the lives of our troops mean nothing. Murtha lives in his own little world; he has yet to come up with any proposal that his boss Cruella DeVille-Pelosi has taken seriously. I suspect he’s feeling a little left out of the game right now, so he has to flap his dumbo mouth to get some attention. It sickens me to no end to know that this NON Marine would cut off the lifeline to his NON brothers who are fighting in a war theater right now. May Marines have mercy upon Murtha when they all meet in their after life.

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Reason 19,857 why I love the Marines:

Bad ass indeed.

From the 1st Marine Division:

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The Marine Corps activated a battalion Wednesday assigned to assist wounded and ill Marines and sailors and their families on the West Coast.

The Wounded Warriors Battalion-West will be part of the Wounded Warrior Regiment, which is headquartered in Quantico, Va., and was established to help service members transition from care by the Defense Department to the Veterans Administration.

Members of the battalion will remain in contact with wounded veterans to make sure they’re getting the care they need.

A ceremony marking the activation featured the 1st Marine Division band and comments from Sgt. Maj. Bradley Kasal, who was shot seven times and suffered 40 shrapnel wounds while trying to save a wounded Marine in a house in Fallujah, Iraq. Kasal received the Navy Cross, the Marine Corps’ second-highest award for valor.

“You can break your body, but you can never break your spirit,” Kasal told the assembled Marines.

Sgt. Kasal knows all about being wounded, and his story is one of heroism at it’s best. A bad ass he is, too.

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Well cry me a river of big fat tears. NOT.

Cindy Sheehan says she is resigning as the “face” of the American anti-war movement.

In a letter posted on a liberal website Monday, Sheehan complained about the smears and hatred directed at her by liberals since she renounced her ties to the Democratic Party.

“Being called an ‘attention whore’ and being told ‘good riddance’ are some of the more milder rebukes [sic],” Sheehan wrote in a long letter posted on the DailyKos blog.

“I have come to some heartbreaking conclusions this Memorial Day Morning,” Sheehan wrote.

Good riddance you stupid cow. Now go back to the pasture and take care of everything you have neglected these past three years. Hopefully you can find some real peace and hopefully your son will stop rolling in his grave.

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