Should Robert Bales face the death penalty?

The Guardian ^ | Friday 23 March 2012

[MinorityRepublican]

An attorney for the US soldier accused of 17 counts of murder after a shooting spree in Panjwai, Afghanistan has acknowledged that Robert Bales is likely to face capital charges. Do you think Bales should face the death penalty?

[Vendome]

Hard to say.

I think he needs help.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Why would the Brits care? They don’t have a death penalty. Do they wish one on him?

[lookout88]

I think the administration should too

[madison10]

No. He did what we teach our military people to do—kill people and break things. He cracked and killed those who didn’t appear to need killing. I cannot fault him for slipping. We made those mistakes with those returning from Vietnam and do not seem to have learned anything.

[unkus]

No. He needs all the help and support possible.

[Bringbackthedraft]

I hope he has a good attorney, who knows he could be in the same cell as Maj Hassan. #18?

[elcid1970]

SSG Bales is going to be railroaded in a heartbeat because he killed Muslims (not justifying his actions in the slightest!) just to satisfy this administration’s agenda.

So then, when is the Fort Hood mass murderer going to be court-martialed? He was a Muslim who killed infidels as he shouted “Allahu Akbar!!!”

Don’t hold your breath, folks.

[AlmaKing]

‘Hard to say.

I think he needs help.’

Easy to say.

Killer of 9 children.

You think he should have therapy?

[Vendome]

Ever know anyone with PTSD?

[rawcatslyentist]

In each and every house he was at there is at least 1 training manual that instructs the home owner to MURDER us in ANY WAY POSSIBLE.

It's justifiable homicide.

[DesertRhino]

I think he needs help. Care for him till he is better, then release him into witness protection.

Think of the abuse our soldiers endure at the hands of our government and it’s insane consideration for the feelings of the ENEMY,,
while **simultaneously** heaping endless hostility towards our own. It’s amazing more don’t snap.

Our boys are forced to stand watches side by side with the “afghan army” (whatever the hell that is). These murderous SOBs sometimes without warning,, turn and murder a soldier who has treated them as a friend. It has happened more times than i can count this year.

He suffered a head injury and should have probably never been returned to combat,, let alone for the 4th or 5th time. He should have been medically retired and cared for.

And the muslims, including their general population have proven to be nothing but treacherous barbarians. I cannot see a single redeeming quality in which that religion and culture has earned ANY compassion.

The USA should tell the Afghans,,, “you never fail to excuse any atrocity committed by your people. This sick man will be cared for by us, until he is better,,, then he will be released into witness protection.”

[DesertRhino]

Ever think that a damaged, shattered, and abused mind might notice that todays 16 to 20 year old setting up IEDs,, was a 6 to 10 year old when 9/11 hit?

Broken, ruined, head injured people sometimes notice such odd little things. Clearly it does not fit the life he lead up until he snapped. It looks more like proof that he went deranged.

[GreatRoad]

Someone told me today that Bales’ wife thinks he was framed - that he wasn’t even there.

[RitchieAprile]

no.

[Christie at the beach]

No.

[smokingfrog]

It’s way too early to answer that question - or even to ask it.

[MasterGunner01]

Has SSgt. Bales been given his Article 32 hearing? No. Have charges been made. No. All this is nothing more than intellectual masturbation.

And, when is the author of the Ft. Hood massacre, Major Hassan, going to court martial? What's all the stalling on his part and the rush to kill SSgt. Bales? The world wonders at the doublestands applied here.

[NMCicero]

In each and every house he was at there is at least 1 training manual that instructs the home owner to MURDER us in ANY WAY POSSIBLE. It's justifiable homicide.

You think killing children is acceptable simply because they've been brought up to practice a religion that you find distasteful?

Some of his victims were freakin' toddlers. Toddlers for Christ's sake. You think toddlers deserve to die for their parents sins?

Get some help.

[NMCicero]

Hrmm, let me think about this. He murdered over a dozen people, most of them little children who were sleeping in their beds in cold blood.

I gotta say, if I were the one making the decision about what his ultimate fate should be (after he has been duly tried and convicted of course) it would take me about five seconds to impose the death penalty on this animal.

I could care less what kind of mental disorder he suffers from, and I’m an OEF/OIF vet who works with homeless veterans so believe me, I know all about PTSD. In my mind, it just doesn’t matter what kind of head problems he may suffer from. He’s an adult, therefore he’s responsible for his actions. I’ve got problems too, that doesn’t give me a license to go out and murder little children just so I can work out my inner demons.

I’d treat him exactly the same way I’d treat any other similarly situated criminal in the United States. I’d put him to death, and I wouldn’t shed a single tear for him.

He’s a monster, and the sooner he meets his maker the better.

And beyond the horrific facts of his crime, one must consider the damage he has done to his country and to our reputation among the world. You want to see what a threat to national security is? Take a good look at Sgt. Bales. That’s a threat to national security. That’s a real terrorist right there, in the flesh.

I cannot even imagine what kind of animal could kill little children like that. Well no, strike that, actually I can imagine, because I served with some of them. Maybe that’s why this whole situation makes me so angry.

[NMCicero]

Yes, plenty of them. It’s not an excuse.

[StonyBurk]

My heart says you have nailed it. ALL surface elements suggest what you have said.The long shot is any PTSD charge-But odds under present circumstance make that defense even more unlikely to succeed. And present circumstance makes any justice for Ft.Hood Jihad -in this world—in this America as unlikely as Sgt.Bales walking on any technicality.

[knarf]

Tried, convicted and now ready for sentencing, I see.

[Alberta's Child]

The Afghans rioted -- and killed a half-dozen U.S. military personnel -- in response to the burning of a bunch of Korans. Don't you think the Afghan response to this massacre has been very tempered, comparison?

Personally I think the U.S. is looking to make this whole incident disappear quickly -- even if it means allowing Bales to cop a plea under the guise of a "he snapped" defense -- for three reasons: (1) Bales didn't act alone, (2) his victims were not random, and (3) whatever his intention was, he sure got a message across very effectively.

[stuartcr]

Depends on the facts.

[Alas Babylon!]

Not true. Someone told you worng.

It “might” have happened. But it’s not what his wife thinks.

[Vendome]

Funny you use the word excuse.

[Blogatron]

Not if Nidal Malik Hasan isn’t.

[Amberdawn]

The Guardian readership certainly would, they’re all unmitigated disasters: Read, leftists.

[NMCicero]

Why is that funny?

[Vendome]

I should have used the word “interesting”.

[NMCicero]

Okay, fair enough.

[rawcatslyentist]

You think killing children is acceptable simply because they've been brought up to practice a religion that you find distasteful?
Mohamed commands his slaves to murder by any means. Mohamed commits mohamicide.

Murdered by isalm
Toulouse 2012 March

Tell it to the hand slammy lover!

[NMCicero]

You must be if the two wrongs make a right school of thought.

Anyway, I don’t know what a slammy is, nor do I care to know.

What I do know is that if you’re actually advocating the murder of children then you are seriously deranged.

[rawcatslyentist]

Sura 9:29-33 “Make war upon such of those to whom the Scriptures have been given as believe not in God,

Sura 4:89 “seize them and slay them wherever you find them: and in any case take no friends or helpers from their ranks.”

This is a 1400 year old declaration of WAR!

These are but a few of it's latest's victims.

Murdered by islam.
March 2012 Toulouse

I don't advocate child murder.

I DO NOT ADVOCATE CHILD MURDER.

Mohamed DOES!

I think this guy snapped from the stress of being surrounded by MURDERERS!

[NMCicero]

The whole thing is pretty strange, and I’ll admit, I’m a little confused by the seeming lack of Afghan response, although who really knows what’s going on in the world these days...

I agree with what you said in your second paragraph though. I’ll be honest, I haven’t really done a lot of research into the facts here, the whole thing hits a little too close to home for me and I just have a hard time reading about it without getting upset. I wasn’t aware that he hadn’t acted alone, or that the victims had been singled out. That does kind of put a different spin on things.

[Girlene]

AB, found this piece on HuffpoRobert Bales Charged: Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre P

"WASHINGTON -- Nine days after a U.S. soldier allegedly massacred 17 civilians in Afghanistan, a top-level Pentagon health official ordered a widespread, emergency review of the military’s use of a notorious anti-malaria drug called mefloquine.

Mefloquine, also called Lariam, has severe psychiatric side effects. Problems include psychotic behavior, paranoia and hallucinations. The drug has been implicated in numerous suicides and homicides, including deaths in the U.S. military. For years the military has used the weekly pill to help prevent malaria among deployed troops.

The U.S. Army nearly dropped use of mefloquine entirely in 2009 because of the dangers, now only using it in limited circumstances, including sometimes in Afghanistan. The 2009 order from the Army said soldiers who have suffered a traumatic brain injury should not be given the drug.

The soldier accused of grisly Afghanistan murders on March 17 of men, women and children, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq in 2010 during his third combat tour. According to New York Times reporting, repeated combat tours also increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. "...........

.........." On March 20, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Jonathan Woodson ordered a new, urgent review to make sure that troops were not getting the drug inappropriately. The task order from Woodson, obtained by The Huffington Post, orders an immediate “review of mefloquine prescribing practices” to be completed by the following Monday, six days after the order was issued.

“Some deployed service members may be prescribed mefloquine for malaria prophylaxis without appropriate documentation in their medical records and without proper screening for contraindications,” the order says. It notes that this review must include troops at “deployed locations.”



Army and Pentagon officials would not say whether Bales took the drug, citing privacy rules. When asked if Woodson’s mefloquine review was a response to the massacre, the military in Afghanistan referred the question to the Army. Army officials said they were “unaware” of the review. After being shown the task order via email, they stopped responding. The Secretary of Defense Office referred questions to the Army -- and then back to medical officials in the secretary’s office. Those officials have not responded.

But the sudden violence and apparent cognitive problems related to the crime Bales is accused of mirrors other gruesome cases."..........................

[smoothsailing]

Mefloquine, also called Lariam, has severe psychiatric side effects.

Mrs. Bales would know if SSGT Bales was taking the drug, I would think. The lawyer needs to know, that's for sure.

[jazusamo]

Interesting, Girl. Thanks for the ping.

[Alberta's Child]

Those three items in the second paragraph are pure speculation on my part, but they're tied to the curious point I made in the first paragraph.

Personally, I think there is far more to this story than the U.S. military will ever acknowledge. I also think the Pentagon is trying to deal with the growing realization that there are small groups of soldiers in Afghanistan -- or even entire units over there -- that are one small step away from a full-scale insurrection against their commanding officers.

[Girlene]

Mrs. Bales would know if SSGT Bales was taking the drug, I would think. The lawyer needs to know, that's for sure.

Actually, I don't know that she would. This would be issued by the military around deployment. It is taken a week or two before deployment (one pill per week). It is not used in Iraq anymore, but is still used some in Afghanistan. In the HuffPo article, they link to a blog post by a "former Army psychiatrist who was the top advocate for mental health at the Office of the Army Surgeon General", Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, who "recently voiced concern about Bales’ possible mefloquine exposure." Afghan Massacre: Potentially Toxic Exposures?

"In the national quest to understand what motivated Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales to leave his compound in the middle of the night, and allegedly gun down 16 men, women and children, there have been many motives already put forth. These include a “witches brew” of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), marital problems, alcohol use, seeing a friend wounded, anger over frequent deployments, and not getting a promotion.

Yet none of these seem sufficient, especially given the reports of a sunny, affable man who had two small children. I would like to introduce a few other ideas, related to the concept that he might have had a brief psychotic episode."............

........................"When I am examining a patient whose crimes seems out of character, which I do as a forensic psychiatrist, I always want to know if their behavior was due to a medical illness, medication, or illicit alcohol or drug use.

One obvious question to consider is whether he was on mefloquine (Lariam), an anti-malarial medication. This medication has been increasingly associated with neuropsychiatric side effects, including depression, psychosis, and suicidal ideation.".................

It is curious that the military, who had issued the original Mefloquine review in January puts out a new urgent request by one part of the Army on March 20 to complete that review by March 26.

[bigheadfred]

Get your delete finger ready.

In my own own defense it isn’t really me doing the bloodthirsty screaming.

It’s that pet tapeworm Obiwan. HE WON’T SHUT UP!

But in HIS defense he does know some things...

LOL

[bigheadfred]

Personally, I think there is far more to this story than the U.S. military will ever acknowledge. I also think the Pentagon is trying to deal with the growing realization that there are small groups of soldiers in Afghanistan -- or even entire units over there -- that are one small step away from a full-scale insurrection against their commanding officers.

Word.

[bigheadfred]

Not true. Someone told you worng. It “might” have happened. But it’s not what his wife thinks.

Explain that.

[Girlene]

The story about the order for Meloquine review is getting out there. Picked up by the Daily Mail, Was Robert Bales given anti-malaria drug known to cause psychotic episodes? Pentagon 'ordered emergency review of drug nine days after Afghan massacre'

[bigheadfred]

You are one of the most astounding personages I have ever met. That God for (little) Girlenes.

Army and Pentagon officials would not say whether Bales took the drug, citing privacy rules. When asked if Woodson’s mefloquine review was a response to the massacre, the military in Afghanistan referred the question to the Army. Army officials said they were “unaware” of the review. After being shown the task order via email, they stopped responding. The Secretary of Defense Office referred questions to the Army -- and then back to medical officials in the secretary’s office. Those officials have not responded.

HAHAAAAAHAAAAAAHAAAAHAAHA! (SPIT)

[Alas Babylon!]

I know Kari. I talk to her. She doesn’t know WHAT to think. She—unlike so many other people, whether in the Army, in Afghanistan, in the media, in the White House, and sadly on this very site—she wants to wait and see what actual FACTS come out. The stuff being “reported” by the media; even the noxious leaks from the Army (which, by the way, are illegal); we don’t even know are true and not made up or embellished by a reporter aiming to keep Obama spotless in this—isn’t gospel! How can a FReeper doubt the media over one story (say Trayvon or Obama’s BC) and yet take every thing they say in another—this story—as ultimate Truth?

I’m not even saying don’t believe it, but take everything you hear with a HUGE grain of salt and understand that a similar case, the Haditha “massacre”, turned out to be anything but. And yes, women and children were killed in Haditha.

Kari is devasted by what Bobby is accused of! But keep in mind he is accused, and no trial has begun, and until that time, Kari chooses to believe in his innocence. It’s all she CAN do.

What would you have your spouse do, if you were accused? What would you do if your spouse was accused?

Keep in mind, since before that day (11 Mar 2012) they’ve only spoken for a few minutes on a monitored phone call.

[bigheadfred]

Please don’t misunderstand me. I was a fearing you were revealing too much info about her personal beliefs. If you are really her friend please do not put her on front street. Protect her. I told you how I feel. I’ve told everyone on this forum from the time I joined WHY.

I’m not anonymous. I’m NOT afraid.

THEY destroyed me once.

I won’t let it happen again.

[Future Snake Eater]

I caught Kari’s interview this morning. I thought she did very well, despite what some of the naysayers bleated about “Today” and Lauer and what not.

[GreatRoad]

I feel sad for Bales and his family. I don’t trust this WH, it’s motives and I think it would turn on us. Hopefully, we’ll find out the facts but with this anti-American media, they’ll cover up but good.