Edmond Army Ranger Gets 25 Years, Gov Withholds Evidence

[Shadowrider]

So you assume that this marine was out right lying because it differs from your desired version of what happened. Gotcha.



You really think Murtha intentionally wanted completely innocent marines to face the death penalty so it could advance an imaginary agenda you think all Democrats possess? Do you realize how completely out of touch with reality that is?

I can understand the desire to see these Marines acquitted. Some of the evidence in this case does support their version of the story, and I truly, honestly hope they are innocent of the charges. I can even understand some of the feelings that would drive a soldier to do some of the things these brave young men are accussed of doing. In Iraq I saw comrades take sniper rounds and our FOB took random mortar fire on a daily basis. The frustration of this type of situation combined with an institutionalized dehumanization of the enemy can lead to scary and tragic results.

However, casting Murtha and others as disgraceful zealots who are willing to literally put these Marines in danger of losing their lives in order to score political points against a second term President is something I cannot understand at all.

EDIT: Shadowrider, do you also consider Republican Representative John Kline (MN) to be a disgrace because he feels the investigation was handled improperly and that there was an active cover up? If he is disgraceful, does that mean all Republicans also share this agenda, as Democrats apparantly do since John Murtha does?

If you can't understand the democraps saying that "we support the troops" while in front of a camera and actively undermining their mission at every opportunity, I honestly don't know what to tell you. And yes I do believe that they (King of earmarks Murtha, Reid, Pelosi, Nobama, Kennedy, and the list goes on and on) would have no problem what so ever with a few marines going down, if they got the political victories they seek. Yes, I believe exactly that, and so do millions of other Americans.

And John Kline has largely retracted his original statement of outrage. He apologized and it even sounded sincere! Something King of earmarks Murtha refuses to do to this day.

When Generals ignore their own investigators, the news media doing what they do, and the prosecution burying and or fighting against admitting exculpatory evidence (the UAV video and the 8 hours of video taped testimony of witnesses that was classified and therefore couldn't be used, remember that?) pretty much tells me it's all B.S. It's been done before and unfortunately, it will again. Like I said, you can believe what you wish, I mean no disrespect, but I've been around enough to know B.S. when I see it.

 

[RugersGR8]

GolfWhiskey wrote: "However, casting Murtha and others as disgraceful zealots who are willing to literally put these Marines in danger of losing their lives in order to score political points against a second term President is something I cannot understand at all."



GolfWhiskey, you say that casting people as disgraceful zealots is something that you cannot understand at all? The members of the Liberal Left do it all the time just to smear and demonize their opposition. But the "Double Standard Rule" only applies when the Left does and gets away with it. For instance, do you remember when Bill Clinton tried to blame the OKC Bombing on Talk Radio/Rush Limbaugh? The Left loves to use a very wide/broad brush when it is painting it's smear/demonizations of the Right. The following article kind of goes into the Left's SOP when doing this:







http://michellemalkin.com/2009/04/15/you-might-be-a-radicalized-rightwing-extremist-if/
You might be a radicalized rightwing extremist if…
By Michelle Malkin • April 15, 2009 10:47 AM
…if you are heading out to a Tea Party today!
Here’s my syndicated column on the DHS hit job. A few may be inclined to give DHS the benefit of the doubt. Andrew McCarthy reminds you of the many reasons why you should not.
***
You might be a “radicalized rightwing extremist” if…
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 200


What and who exactly are President Obama’s homeland security officials afraid of these days? If you are a member of an active conservative group that opposes abortion, favors strict immigration enforcement, lobbies to protect Second Amendment rights, protests big government, advocates federalism, or represents veterans who believe in any of the above, the answer is: You.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano has turned her attention away from acts of Islamic jihad on American soil (which she now refers to as “man-caused disasters”). Instead, her department is sounding the alarm over an un-quantified “resurgence” in “rightwing extremism activity.” On April 7, DHS sent a nine-page warning memo to law enforcement offices across the country titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.”

The report includes a sweeping definition of the threat:

“Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”

You cannot ignore the context or the timing of this DHS report. It’s no small coincidence that Napolitano’s agency disseminated the assessment just a week before the nationwide April 15 Tax Day Tea Party protests. The grass-roots events organized by fiscal conservatives, independents, Libertarians, and yes, even some blue Dog Democrats were fueled by the “current economic and political climate” of bipartisan profligate spending and endless taxpayer-funded bailouts. The growing success of the loose-knit movement has invited scorn, ridicule, and fear-mongering from Obama’s supporters. Liberal bloggers have likened the Tea Party movement to neo-Nazis, militias, and even Weather Underground terrorists.

These attempts to demonize the Tea Party movement come on the heels of widespread conservative-bashing over the recent shooting sprees in Pittsburgh and Binghamton, New York. Taking Hillary Clinton’s advice to “never waste a good crisis,” left-wing pundits and analysts have blamed the tragedies on everyone from Rush Limbaugh to Fox News to the NRA.

The DHS spokespeople I talked to on Monday insisted that the report was not a politicized document and that DHS had done similar assessments on “leftwing extremism” in the past. But past domestic terrorism reports have always been very specific in identifying security threats – such as the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front – and very specific in identifying their methods and targets, including repeated physical harassment, arson, and vandalism against pharmaceutical companies, farms, labs, and university researchers.

By contrast, the Obama DHS report is an overarching indictment of conservatives. “Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, the perceived loss of U.S. jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors, and home foreclosures,” the assessment warns. When I asked DHS spokeswoman Sara Kuban to explain who was responsible for this “extremist chatter,” she could not and would not name names.

Moreover, the report relies on the work of the left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center to stir anxiety over “disgruntled military veterans” – a citation which gives us valuable insight into how DHS will define “hate-oriented” groups. The SPLC, you see, has designated the venerable American Legion a “hate group” for its stance on immigration enforcement. The report offers zero data, but states with an almost resentful attitude toward protected free speech: “Debates over appropriate immigration levels and enforcement policy generally fall within the realm of protected political speech under the First Amendment, but in some cases, anti-immigration or strident pro-enforcement fervor has been directed against specific groups and has the potential to turn violent.”

“Potential to turn violent?” So did the hysterical fervor whipped up by Capitol Hill over the AIG bonuses, which prompted ugly death threats from across the country. No mention here, though. Not “rightwing” enough. Nor will you see Obama DHS warnings to police and sheriff’s departments about self-proclaimed bank terrorists such as Bruce Marks of the aggressive Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America or the mob activists of ACORN who have committed burglary, stormed corporate executives’ homes, and vowed to conduct “civil disobedience” by “any means necessary” in response to the “current economic and political climate.”

If you can redefine dissenting opinion as “hate,” you can brand your political opponents as “extremists” – and you can marginalize electoral threats. “Antigovernment?” “Pro-enforcement?” “Disgruntled?” Feeling taxed enough already and “recruiting” and “radicalizing” your friends and neighbors through “chatter on the Internet?”

We are all rightwing extremists now. Welcome to the club.

 

[GolfWhiskey]

GolfWhiskey, you say that casting people as disgraceful zealots is something that you cannot understand at all? The members of the Liberal Left do it all the time just to smear and demonize their opposition.

If and when people on the left do so, it is an indefensible act and should be condemned. If someone wrote here that they believed John McCain or Tom Coburn wanted Marines to face the death penalty to score political points, I would just as quickly jump to condemn such an idea unless actual evidence were presented.

Both extremes are often guilty of doing this to each other and it needs to stop.

EDIT: Rugers, thanks for the article- I will reread it a few times and post a response soon.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I'm with you in spirit always, GolfWhiskey, for your fair and even hand here, even if I don't post specific support - keep up the good work!

 

[Peace_Maker]

Just like all the other trolls that have come before him, he will be banned mark my word. Personally I feel the sooner the better.

Makes me sick to see someone defend those who prosecute our brave warriors to score political points. Those that bring these charges against our troops are the ones who need to be in jail, they are nothing more than traitors. You will see more and more of these prosecutions under the current anti-military administration.

 

[GolfWhiskey]

You will see more and more of these prosecutions under the current anti-military administration.

Do you realize that you are completely wrong by blaming this obvious miscarriage of justice on Barack Obama? The charges against this soldier were filed in July of 2008, before Obama had even won the Democratic Primary.

While you are at it, would you like to blame 9/11 and Pearl Harbor on Obama? There are plenty of reasons to disagree with Obama and the Democratic Party- blaming them for internal decisions made by the US military under the UCMJ is downright dishonest.

 

[Lycus]

This is a late posting, but I'd like to relay my thoughts on this.

Indirectly I know Behenna. He's the boyfriend of my long-time friend's sister. I sent him a letter in early December wishing him a happy Christmas, and my feelings about his wrongful incarceration.

I'd encourage all of you who haven't sent this young man a letter to send one, letting you know that you remember him, letting him know you are thankful for his service, and that people still care about him. There are people who want this man to get a fair trial, and have justice served to him.

If you'd like to send him a letter, his address is posted here: http://defendmichael.wordpress.com/address/

Let us not forget those betrayed by the system, who put their lives on the line to do what they thought was right, to do what they thought was in the best interest in preserving the safety of not only the people of the United States of America, but preserving the safety and liberty of people around the world.

If we cannot change his situation at the moment, we can at least lift his spirit and resolve.

 

[Rastus]

A failure to focus on the entirety of the liberal agenda may cause some to forget that congressional appointments, congressional requests for assignment and other such instruments have placed an undue number of leftist within the administration of our military.

Why it may not be strictly correct that B. Hussein Obama did not initiate the investigation and that Murtha knowing someone is innocent may not wish a death penalty on an obviously innocent person in no way conveys the truth that this leftist liberal push is incremental on many fronts. The leftist want to please their masters...that would be the ones who got them a job.

Having said that, Murtha is a POS and Hussein is, well, a traitor at best if he is a citizen at all. I'm still looking for that passport and the Dept. of State does keep records.

 

[RugersGR8]

Vicki Behenna, Michael's mother was on Michael Savage's radio program last night(rerun?). After explaining the situation, Savage said that he would donate $25,000 of his own money to Michael Behenna's defense fund. Savage also has this article linked on his website:



http://www.pvbr.com/Issue_1/pers.htm

THE CRUCIFIXION OF MICHAEL BEHENNA
By Phil Brennan

***************************************


You can go to Savage's website and earmark donations to the Michael Behenna Defense Fund(scroll to bottom on the righthand side).

http://www.michaelsavage.wnd.com/index.php


***************************************


Write to Michael Behenna at:

Michael Behenna #87503
1300 N. Warehouse Road
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2304

 

[tacmedic]

The case against him is TOTAL BS, so is the case against the SEALs!!! Can't express how much this PISSES ME OFF!

The forensic expert for the prosecution determined that the incident could NOT have happened as the prosecution alleged, but that the forensic evidence matched the Ranger's account of events, so he wasn't allowed to testify. Too bad truth and justice doesn't matter anymore.

One more step in marching the sheeple to slaughter.