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Should Robert Bales face the death penalty?
The Guardian ^ | Friday 23 March 2012

Posted on 03/25/2012 9:17:36 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

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To: smoothsailing
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.
41 posted on 03/26/2012 4:40:09 PM PDT by Girlene
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To: Admin Moderator

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


42 posted on 03/26/2012 4:45:27 PM PDT by bigheadfred (SHUT UP OBIWAN)
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To: Alberta's Child
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.

43 posted on 03/26/2012 4:49:59 PM PDT by bigheadfred (SHUT UP OBIWAN)
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To: Alas Babylon!
Not true. Someone told you worng. It “might” have happened. But it’s not what his wife thinks.

Explain that.

44 posted on 03/26/2012 4:56:16 PM PDT by bigheadfred (SHUT UP OBIWAN)
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To: All
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'
45 posted on 03/26/2012 5:05:13 PM PDT by Girlene
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To: Girlene
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)

46 posted on 03/26/2012 5:09:42 PM PDT by bigheadfred (INSANE MILITARY HATING LEFTIST /s)
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To: bigheadfred; GreatRoad

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.


47 posted on 03/26/2012 5:49:43 PM PDT by Alas Babylon!
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To: Alas Babylon!

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.


48 posted on 03/26/2012 5:58:49 PM PDT by bigheadfred (INSANE MILITARY HATING LEFTIST /s)
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To: Alas Babylon!

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.


49 posted on 03/26/2012 6:10:03 PM PDT by Future Snake Eater (If we had a President, he'd look like Newt.)
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To: Alas Babylon!

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.


50 posted on 03/26/2012 6:25:51 PM PDT by GreatRoad (O < 0)
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To: bigheadfred

That’s very, very good advice, Fred, and I will keep it.


51 posted on 03/26/2012 8:12:14 PM PDT by Alas Babylon!
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To: Girlene
Posting this here for reference. It seems this drug, Mefloquine, aka Lariam, was discovered at Walter Reed. IOW, this is the Army's creation. It's use is coming to an end. Army Doctor Sees Victory, and a Dangerous Drug Bites the Dust—Almost. An interview with the man who blew the whistle on the neurotoxic malaria drug in the U.S. Army’s kit bag.

"A dangerous malaria drug invented by the Army and commonly used by soldiers and civilians alike causes everything from episodes of psychotic violence to nightmares more real than reality, and is finally being withdrawn as the first-line treatment for troops in malarial zones. ".........................

Sounds like this drug was to be discontinued in December as first-line choice to prevent malaria. The review of the Army' use/dispension of it was ordered on Jan. 17, this year. It was put on an urgent review on March 20. This sounds like a nasty drug that was never properly clinically tested. Memory loss, dissasociative hallucogen, impulsive acts of violence, interference with context fear response are listed as possible side effects. Permanent neurotoxicity possible? Bad news.
52 posted on 03/26/2012 9:46:30 PM PDT by Girlene
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To: Girlene
and anothe for reference. Even if this drug was taken by Bales, there may be no record! ......"A UPI investigation in 2004 found that many soldiers back from Iraq reported having taken the drug, even though their medical records omitted all mention of the treatment.".......The Fix

VA Warns Doctors About Lariam United Press International 25 June 2004

Other references made the point - alcohol made things worse when taking this drug.
53 posted on 03/26/2012 10:10:56 PM PDT by Girlene
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To: Girlene
CBS News The Dark Side Of Lariam
54 posted on 03/27/2012 6:11:20 AM PDT by Girlene
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To: Vendome

My wife mentioned yesterday that she read somewhere that Bales was taking Malarial Meds?! Is this true to anything you or other FReepers have read yet..?


55 posted on 03/27/2012 6:46:34 AM PDT by urtax$@work (The only kind of memorial is a Burning memorial !)
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To: MinorityRepublican

If he’s guilty, yes.

I’m not a big fan of “not guilty by reason of insanity.”


56 posted on 03/27/2012 6:50:56 AM PDT by Little Ray (FOR the best Conservative in the Primary; AGAINST Obama in the General.)
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To: urtax$@work

That’s an hypothesis, but not known. See post 37 and others after for info. The army issued a review, Jan. 17, to see who in the military was prescribing this drug, larium aka mefloquine. It issued an urgent review on March 20 (just 9 days after the killings) to have this review completed within 6 days. So there is speculation......noone knows at this point. An army psychiatrist has blogged a drug like this could be one explanation if he was suffering a psychotic break that lead to these killings.

This sounds like one nasty drug. It was created by the military in the Vietnam era.


57 posted on 03/27/2012 7:16:19 AM PDT by Girlene
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To: urtax$@work

Don’t know but it can drive you whacky.

Not sure anti malarials are indicated for Crapghanistan.


58 posted on 03/27/2012 8:28:35 AM PDT by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously, you won't live through it anyway)
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