Biden: US to appeal dismissal of Blackwater charges

By GottaLaff

Paddy's computer is being eaten alive by evil intruders, and I'm still under the weather, so please bear with us.

That said, let's talk Blackwater. They never cease to provide us with mounds of controversy. Allow me to quote myself:

I previously posted about how much an Iraqi life is worth to Blackwater. And prior to that, I posted about charges being dismissed against them in the deadly 2007 shooting.

In fact, every post I write about Blackwater is jam packed with death and destruction, ethics vacuums, and overall creepiness. And yet the U.S. government still has them on their payroll.

Veep Biden made noises about an appeal, and whaddya know! He kept his noisy promise:

Speaking at a joint appearance with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in Baghdad, Biden said he was "disappointed" with the ruling, and that the Justice Department would file the appeal next week.

The September 2007 shootout in Baghdad's Nusoor Square left 17 Iraqis dead and two dozen wounded.

I hope they get somewhere with this. I'd love to write up a post with a happy ending for a change.

US to review court decision on Blackwater killings

By GottaLaff

Earlier I posted about how much an Iraqi life is worth to Blackwater. And prior to that, I posted about charges being dismissed against them in the deadly 2007 shooting.

In fact, every post I write about Blackwater is jam packed with death and destruction, ethics vacuums, and overall creepiness. And yet the U.S. government still has them on their payroll.

Which is why I have my doubts that they this will lead to a satisfactory conclusion:

The US government said Friday it will review the decision by a US court to drop charges against American private security guards accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians in an unprovoked attack in 2007.

"We respect the independence of the judiciary. The decision of the judge does not exonerate the defendants or necessarily terminate the proceedings," State Department spokesman PJ Crowley told reporters.

"The Department of Justice, in consultation with the State Department, will carefully review the judge's decision and assess all available legal options," said Crowley, the assistant secretary of state for public affairs.

Color me jaded.

Judge dismisses all charges against Blackwater guards in deadly Baghdad shooting.

By GottaLaff

This turns my stomach. I can't see how the Blackwater thugs can skate on this. Via an e-mail alert:

WASHINGTON (AP) Judge dismisses all charges against Blackwater guards in deadly Baghdad shooting.

More when I get it. Meantime, Cable Guy is here, and I'll be offline for a few, so this is all I can post on this for now.

UPDATE, via an L.A. Times alert:

A federal judge has dismissed all charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards charged in a deadly Baghdad shooting in 2007.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina said today the Justice Department overstepped its bounds and wrongly used evidence it was not allowed to see. He said the government's explanations have been contradictory, unbelievable and not credible.

Blackwater contractors were hired to guard State Department diplomats in Iraq. Prosecutors say the guards fired on unarmed civilians in a busy intersection, killing innocent people.

More soon at: http://www.latimes.com/

UPDATE: Here is the document dismissing Blackwater. This should go over well with already-angry-at-America types.

President Obama's Letter to CIA Employees

By GottaLaff

Via MSNBC: Leon Panetta said that news was slow to come out about the CIA workers who were killed, because they wanted to personally notify each family before releasing news about them:

To the men and women of the CIA:

I write to mark a sad occasion in the history of the CIA and our country. Yesterday, seven Americans in Afghanistan gave their lives in service to their country. Michelle and I have their families, friends and colleagues in our thoughts and prayers.

These brave Americans were part of a long line of patriots who have made great sacrifices for their fellow citizens, and for our way of life. The United States would not be able to maintain the freedom and security that we cherish without decades of service from the dedicated men and women of the CIA. You have helped us understand the world as it is, and taken great risks to protect our country. You have served in the shadows, and your sacrifices have sometimes been unknown to your fellow citizens, your friends, and even your families.

In recent years, the CIA has been tested as never before. Since our country was attacked on September 11, 2001, you have served on the frontlines in directly confronting the dangers of the 21st century. Because of your service, plots have been disrupted, American lives have been saved, and our Allies and partners have been more secure. Your triumphs and even your names may be unknown to your fellow Americans, but your service is deeply appreciated. Indeed, I know firsthand the excellent quality of your work because I rely on it every day.

The men and women who gave their lives in Afghanistan did their duty with courage, honor and excellence, and we must draw strength from the example of their sacrifice. They will take their place on the Memorial Wall at Langley alongside so many other heroes who gave their lives on behalf of their country. And they will live on in the hearts of those who loved them, and in the freedom that they gave their lives to defend.

May God bless the memory of those we lost, and may God bless the United States of America.

President Barack Obama

HuckPAC coordinator steps down, citing clemency decision

By GottaLaff

Original post about HuckaPardon here. Here come the repercussions.

HuckaT. Oa. St:

The Arkansas coordinator for Mike Huckabee's political action committee resigned Tuesday, citing the former Arkansas governor's decision nine years ago to grant clemency to Maurice Clemmons, the man suspected of murdering four police officers in Washington state.

Jason Tolbert is a conservative blogger, and was the (volunteer) Arkansas state coordinator for HuckPAC.

"My departure was with a heavy heart but was done after serious prayer and consideration," Tolbert wrote on his Web site. "Some have asked about the timing. As most could imagine, the recent news of the last two days along with the response did play a role in this decision but was not the sole factor."

Mike Huckabee commuted sentence of Washington cop-killer suspect

By GottaLaff

Maurice Clemmons

CORRECTION and UPDATE: Per CNN just now, Clemmons is "person of interest", not a suspect... yet. They "really want to talk to him" says Hunter George PIO, Pierce Co. Sheriff's office.

UPDATE: Could this be why Huck suggested he wasn't up for another run in 2012?

Those four policemen who were murdered in a Washington state coffeehouse this morning? The suspect is one Maurice Clemmons.

Politically speaking, this does not bode well for Mike Huckabee:

Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.

"This is the day I've been dreading for a long time," Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas' Pulaski County said Sunday night when informed that Clemmons was being sought in connection to the killings.

H/t: Oliver Willis and TPM

A Teen's Reaction to the Fort Hood Memorial Service

By GottaLaff

Image via Fort Hood Sentinel

I've previously posted the observations of a remarkable high school student regarding the Ft. Hood shootings. Her insights were unique and poignant. Please read them here and here.

She just IMed me the link to her own blog post on the same subject, and I strongly recommend going over here to read it. Just to tantalize you, here is an excerpt or three:

The United States has been at war in Afghanistan since the fall of my second grade year, and in Iraq for half of the years I have been in school. [...]

My brother wears the same uniform as the grieving soldiers, and he has served at Fort Hood. I lived with him at Fort Hood during one of his trainings for his career as an army truck mechanic. The buildings in the background of the live shots were familiar to me, and I imagined that afternoon what it would be like to attend a memorial for my own brother. [...]

We have not seen military funerals for any of the 5000 military service members killed in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan since I learned to write my name in cursive. Our morning announcements don’t indicate the number of those forever wounded in body or soul in that time. And we have certainly seen no mention of Afghan or Iraqi civilians killed by our military since my adult teeth started coming in.

Remember, the author just turned 18. The "professional" punditiots could take lessons.

Fellow Soldiers, family and guests take a moment of silence during a memorial service for 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers: Spcs. Jake Velloza, Jeremiah McCleery, and Shawn Sykes, June 18, at Fort Hood’s 1st Cavalry Division Memorial Chapel. Sgt. Karl Williams, 3rd BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs

"Why didn’t my school show ... memorials for... the 100+ Ft. Hood soldiers that ... committed suicide this year?"

By GottaLaff

Yesterday I posted something I hope you already read, or will read. It was about a Texas school district that thought President Obama's education speech should be off limits, but didn't blink when kids watched him talk about mass murder. I described the point of view of one of the students.

That teen and her brother recently called Fort Hood home, and now the 25-year-old brother is in the Army, stationed in Afghanistan.

I have now been given permission to link you to the 18-year-old's blog site. She goes by the name freckles cassie and, she shows up here too.

Here's a comment she left on one of the blog posts that was well worth quoting:

Why didn’t my school show us the memorials for all if the 100+ Fort Hood soldiers that have committed suicide this year? Or all of the homeless vets who die from lack of VA health care? Or even all of the memorials for all of the soldiers & marines killed in Iraq & Afghanistan?

From the Department of Sad Irony: Freckles Cassie, a teenager who writes blog entries and comments, is already heads and shoulders better at analysis and is more astute than anyone on ClusterFox and most punditiots in general.

Go get 'em, Freckles Cassie.

School: Obama education speech? No. Empty boots & Taps? No problem.

By GottaLaff

I have a friend who has a high school aged niece living in Williamson County, Texas. The niece's 25-year-old brother is in the Army, stationed in Afghanistan.

I just heard from my friend, just a few minutes ago. It turns out that the niece was very distraught today... so distraught, in fact, that she had a panic attack and had to leave school. You see, the brother and sister lived in Fort Hood from 2004-2006.

The sister wanted to know why she needed her parents' permission to stay in school for President Obama's education speech, but not for the empty boots and Taps that aired without restriction during today's speech honoring those slain by the Ft. Hood shooter.

Good question.

She is still pulling herself together as I write this, which, per my friend, requires a wash cloth and substantial make-up touch-ups.

Yes, in all its education-oriented wisdom, the school district banned the president's speech about why it's important to stay in school, work hard, and aim high. Kids at high schools throughout the district needed the okay from Mom and Dad for that...except those in U.S. government classes. I guess those kids were immune to indoctrination.

However, witnessing the agony of families mourning for their children, fathers, sisters who died at the hands of a fellow soldier? That works for Williamson County.

And speaking of military deaths, putting a young girl through the daily pain and anxiety of wondering whether her own brother is alive or dead, or could come face to face with another Nidal Hasan? She can handle that, she's old enough. That won't leave an imprint at all.

But hearing these words will scar her forever:

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

That was a no-no, but this is perfectly acceptable:

I join her in her fears for her brother's life... and in her tears over the priorities of what's left of our so-called family values.

A first: Five US contractors held over Iraq killing

By GottaLaff

Iraqis standing up as we stand down:

Iraqi police have arrested five US men in connection with the killing of a fellow American last month.

An Iraqi spokesman called them security contractors, but the US embassy in Iraq has not confirmed who they are and says no charges have yet been laid.

If charged, they would be the first Americans to face Iraqi justice under a new joint security pact.

The arrests come at a time when Iraqi forces are assuming greater control of their own security. [...]

The new security agreement lays out the terms of the US withdrawal and sets guidelines for the conduct of US troops while they remain in Iraq.

It allows US soldiers to be tried in Iraqi courts, but only in cases of serious, premeditated crimes committed while off-base and off-duty.

However, private contractors, who were previously immune to prosecution in Iraq, are now wholly bound by Iraqi law.

They allegedly killed a "fellow American," not an Iraqi. I'd be curious to hear more details. This is awfully sketchy.

VIDEO: Father of Soldier in Iraq 'Fratricide' Case Speaks

By GottaLaff

This is raw footage:



Thank you, BushCo, for making it possible for so many Americans to die, to have mental breakdowns, to go on tour after tour, pushing themselves beyond the breaking point. Thank you very much.

Let's hope President Obama gets us out of this fraudulent war/occupation in Iraq quickly and successfully, because all the heartbreak is excruciating:

In his first interview, and providing key details, William Russell, father of Sgt. John M. Russell, accused of killing five fellow soldiers in Iraq yesterday, revealed to a local North Texas TV reporter today that his son’s job in Iraq was an electronic technician who, among other things, used robots to detonate roadside bombs.

“He thought he was saving lives, thought he was doing some good,” John Russell said, in a raw, unedited video.

Referring to the treatment of his son at the stress clinic where the shootings took place, Russell said, “They don’t do the best job of taking care of the soldiers, both in the service and when they get out of the service, we know that. They use them.” He added: “They broke him. He thought his life was over.”

He also confirmed a report that his son was disarmed and sent away from the stress clinic after a “rhubarb” with others there, only to take a gun from a minder and return for the deadly shootout.

The father, of Grayson County, Texas, told KTEN TV, in the raw video posted at the station’s web site, that after the “rhubarb” they put Sgt. Russell “in a vehicle with a guy with a gun, and, well -- they'd trained him to kill -- and he took a gun” and returned to the clinic.

Russell said that his son, on his third tour of duty in Iraq, had told his wife just days ago that two officers had threatened him, calling May 5 and 6 “the two worst days of my life.”

He had been “scheduled for a stress test” and apparently felt that the military was attempting to “drum him out” of the service when this enlistment was up. “They broke him,” William Russell said over and over. "He didn’t know how to ask for help. When they go to the stress center and ask for help they belittle them because they ask for help." [...]

He said he hoped that the Pentagon and the president find out what really caused him to snap, but doubted the full story would come out because officers would cover up documents about his treatment by the clinic.

GottaCry.