Free Republic

Messages posted recently by prominent contributors to Islamist Web sites are seeking specific information on U.S. military targets in hopes of carrying out an attack on Navy ships in the Persian Gulf, according to a U.S.-based group that tracks such sites. One post on the jihadi forum Al-Falluja calls for information such as the “name of the particular naval unit to be targeted, its exact location, the number of troops on board the warship and their ranks, familial status, where their families live, the type of weapons the warship carries … and the number of nuclear bombs onboard,” reads a...

NCIS: Nutty Christian Insult Series? I borrowed the title of this from We The People . org and the article linked above. Why? In a recent episodes of NCIS called Faith and it's spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles called Brimstone , political correctness comes full circle...almost. In both episodes the shows portray Christians acting suspiciously like Muslim extremists...read more...

Both of the new NCIS episodes tonight featured Muslim Marines victimized by bigoted Christian Marines (or ex-Marines). Is it mere coincidence these two plot-lines come 5-6 weeks after Ft. Hood? I can't help but wonder what an average TV drama's time-span is between the script begin written and the airing date.

USA Network just showed a commercial for a mini marathon of 3 shows on Wed night, that will be hosted by "Abby" and she will be answering questions from viewers. I *think* they said it would be starting at 8pm EST

Sitting here this morning waiting for the football games to start (God Bless my Falcons), and thought I'd put this up for discussion in the meantime.. So which is it, NCIS or NCIS:Los Angeles?

Even though Robi Boscarino lives a world away, the 17-year-old Australian still manages to tune into CBS' "NCIS" seven nights a week. Earlier this month, the Perth resident visited the hit crime procedural's sound stages in Valencia and caught his favorite character, DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), in action. "Back home, everybody likes him," said Boscarino, who has Hodgkin's lymphoma and whose big dream to visit the set was made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "He's one of the most popular TV actors, for sure. This is more than I expected, to be honest. I didn't expect him to be like he...

Chris O’Donnell seems pretty robust for a guy who went down in a hail of gunfire a few months ago. Between takes on the set of “NCIS: Los Angeles,’’ the actor looks relaxed, if a little gruffer and buffer than in his “Scent of a Woman’’ days...he admits, he was a little concerned that CBS wasn’t actually picking up the “NCIS’’ spin-off when he saw how many hits he was taking in a two-part episode of the original series... “I was a little shocked,’’ he says with a chuckle, “because that was a lot of bullets.’’ O’Donnell lived. And if...

Dallas Cowboys NFL Team Column By Russell Easley 30 May 2009 Roster Series Part 3: Quarterbacks By now I’ve heard it all. Tony Romo chokes in big games. Tony Romo makes too many costly mistakes with his Favre-esque style of play. Tony Romo doesn’t care about winning in the NFL. And the most outrageous of all to me – Romo-friendly means scaling back the offense and making it simpler in order to hide his shortcomings as an NFL quarterback. Wow, Really ? Here’s my rundown on the 2009 Quarterback roster of the Dallas Cowboys: Starter – Tony Romo. There are...

Marine free after conviction tossed out Rape charge led to decade in prison By Rick Rogers (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer 2:00 a.m. March 14, 2009 Brian Foster After spending a decade behind bars, a former Camp Pendleton Marine is now a free man because a military appeals court ruled that “a muddled, hearsay-based case” caused his spousal-rape conviction. But anyone who thinks Brian Foster is bitter would be wrong. As Foster left the prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., on Feb. 20, he picked up his sergeant stripes and spoke candidly with his superiors. “I told (them) I was happy to...

Imagine if 15 or 20 years ago, someone had said the FBI would have to create a system by which federal firearms licensees could obtain a criminal background check on a customer within hours or days. We might have declared it an impossible task. Yet here we stand, celebrating the 10th anniversary of a system that does just that—but within seconds. Because of NICS, "instant" checks are not only possible, they have become routine. But they are not something we should take for granted. NICS is an exceptional tool and has produced exceptional results. Over the past 10 years, NICS...

Just a heads up for those interested, and have the time: USANetwork is running a NCIS marathon all day today, until 7 pm EDT. To clarify, the last episode *ends* at 7pm.

Just was looking for what the TV fare would be on the Fourth, and noticed that USA Networks will be airing an 8 episode NCIS marathon on the Holiday. Starting at 3 pm EDT, it appears from what i've read, that the shows span a few episodes before "Caitlin" gets killed, to a few episodes after. Covering "Ziva" joining the team as well.

Heads up for NCIS fans: this Friday, June 27, 2008, USANetworks will be airing a 10 episode Marathon of NCIS starting at 1 pm EDT, of shows *with* Ziva, and starting with an episode where Gibbs is retired. IOW, not the same episodes from the last marathon...*all* new for *me*! ;)

A report that mosques in Los Angeles and San Diego are under federal surveillance has resurrected fears in the Muslim community about government monitoring and led two civil rights groups Wednesday to call for congressional hearings. The request for public hearings followed a newspaper article last week that cited FBI and Defense Department files pertaining to surveillance of mosques and Muslims in Southern California. Corey Saylor, Washington spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the article in the San Diego Union-Tribune "has again raised concerns that our community is being watched." "We've heard about this in the past, but...

Just a personal 'Thank You', to the Powers That Be, at USA Network, who are about to save me some $48 DL fees, by running two NCIS "marathons" this weekend on Friday and Monday...24 total episodes, 12 each day, of episodes I haven't watched yet. All ready set up to watch/record them. >8o)

Hearing will set stage for start of court-martial of Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani CAMP PENDLETON ---- The highest-ranking U.S. Marine officer accused of wrongdoing in the wake of the slaying of 24 Iraqi civilians in the city of Haditha in 2005 is due to appear in a Camp Pendleton courtroom on Tuesday. The officer, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, 44, is charged with dereliction of duty and violating a lawful order for failing to order a full-scale investigation into the civilian deaths. He faces up to 30 months in jail and dismissal from the service if convicted and sentenced to the...

HAMDANIA: The PENDLETON 8: OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS TELL A DIFFERENT STORY WHEN COMPARED TO THE MEDIA ACCOUNTS. WHY? (A) WHAT WERE THE CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING UP TO THE PATROL THAT NIGHT? WERE THEY COMMON EVENTS OR WAS THIS A SPECIAL PATROL TO SEARCH OUT A SPECIFIC PERSON AS THE OFFICIAL CHARGES CLAIMED? The government's case was that the patrol lead by Sgt Hutchin's, Plymouth, Massachusetts, was after a specific insurgent named Saleh Gowad, and when he was not found at the location of his house, a random house was chosen and an innocent man was taken and killed. Make sure that you...

It has been awhile since I have had much of an update on this situation.  But I wanted to let everyone know, we may need to get some more help for Lt. Colonel Chessani. If you are not familiar with the story, then go here and here for a quick intel dump so you know. But it seems that the Lt. Col, who is on trial for his life and career, for not investigating something that never happened, should tell you something about what is going on in a larger sense in our fight against the Islamofascists. And it should...

Muslim Arabs are good. Caucasian Americans [and Germans] are evil. Islam is a religion of peace.

FREEPER Tim Harrington, Sgt HMM-165, has been personally involved with the families of the accused Marines of the Hamdania Case, (PENDLETON 8 ) and Haditha. DUring this time, Tim has been in constant contact with his state rep, William Delahunt, D-MA 10th district. Mr Delahunt is the representative of Sgt Hutchins who was found guilty in his court martial for the charge of murdering a civilian in Iraq. This issue is important because it has shown a level of corruption and perjury in the NCIS system and specifically 2 individuals that are common to the Hamadania and Haditha cases. It...

DEFEND OUR MARINES THEATER PRESENTS... Verbatim testimony from the LCpl Sharratt Article 32 hearing--dramatized for your reading pleasure.With guest star Lizzie McGuire as NCIS Special Agent Nadya Mannle!______________________________________________________ Bumbling and corrupt NCIS agents have been on horrifyingly hilarious display in the Haditha hearings. It was clear to anyone watching LCpl Justin Sharratt's hearing that he should never have been charged in the first place.The media (naturally) has ignore this facet of the hearings, but NCIS agents broke every rule of an unbiased investigation: exculpatory evidence was ignored and incriminating evidence was not tested. Democrats, usually so vocal about the rights...

Monday, August 27, 2007 Betrayal: IVAW and the Haditha Marines - Part 3 in the Haditha Series We’ve gotten used to the media taking potshots at the military. It has become a regular day to day occurrence. Reports from Iraq reveal that our soldiers are too busy doing their jobs to pay much attention to the blathering from the armchair generals in the media - thank goodness. But when the knife in your back is thrown by your “brothers”, it has got to hurt. John Murtha, the ex-Marine, threw the first knife but he was certainly not the last. The...

Day Two / Tuesday, June 12 / NCIS Special Agent Mark PlattBumbling NCIS agents have been on horrifyingly hilarious display in the Haditha hearings. It was clear to anyone watching LCpl Justin Sharratt's hearing that he should never have been charged in the first place. Agents broke every rule of an unbiased investigation... Exculpatory evidence was ignored (such as a suitcase filled with Jordanian passports found in a house and the fact that among the dead was a man named Kahtan who fit the profile of an insurgent). Incriminating evidence was not tested (suspicion fell on LCpl Sharratt and his...

CAMP PENDLETON — Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents are examining allegations that Marines killed as many as eight unarmed Iraqi prisoners during a battle in Fallouja in November 2004, according to civilian and military sources. (snip) In the Haditha case, three enlisted Marines face murder charges, and four officers are accused of failing to investigate the killings. Preliminary hearings are underway. (snip) The two cases do not involve any of the same Marines. But some of those being interviewed in the Fallouja case were expected to serve as character witnesses for colleagues accused of murder in the Haditha case. (snip>...

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is probing allegation that eight unarmed Iraqi men were murdered at Fallujah, Iraq in November, 2004. They allegedly died at the hands of Marines once in the same platoon as two Marines already under investigation for murdering 24 civilians in Haditha 18 months ago. The alleged murders were revealed last year by former Corporal Ryan Weemer, once a Marine rifleman from 3rd Platoon, Kilo Company, Third Battalion, 1st Marines. Weemer fought valiantly at the Hell House during the Fallujah battle in November 2004 and sustained three gunshot wounds. He was a fire team leader in...

The U.S. military took the extraordinary step of apologizing for the deadly shooting in Afghanistan earlier this year by Marines that left 19 civilians dead and another 50 wounded. One senior official who has seen the results of the preliminary investigation into the incident says it was "as bad as Haditha," a reference to the 2005 shooting deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians that resulted in three Marines being charged with murder.Like Haditha, the incident was triggered by an explosion targeting a Marine convoy. Witnesses allege the Marines then fired upon civilians gathered at a roadside bazaar and continued to fire...

I have been recording NCIS season 4 episodes for my son who is in Iraq. My recorder did not record Tuesday, May 8's episode and it lays the basis for the season 4 finale.Can anyone send me a copy so I can send it to my son?

NORTH COUNTY -- The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is denying its agents did anything improper when they interrogated Marines in the 2005 slaying of two dozen Iraqi civilians in Haditha.On Tuesday, attorneys representing a senior officer charged in the case, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, asked Navy Secretary Donald Winter for an investigation based on complaints the agents mistreated Camp Pendleton Marines during interviews conducted in Iraq last year.Ed Buice, a spokesman for the investigative service, has since issued a written statement to the North County Times denying any improper conduct by the Navy's law enforcement agency."Naval Criminal Investigative Service practices...

An Honest Investigation Would Have Cleared Lieutenant Pantano in Iraq (and Other Lessons for the Haditha Hearings)Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano was an outstanding Marine officer who did his job, including the hard business of killing the enemy, very well. And then the government told him that he was a murderer. On February 1, 2005, he was charged with premeditated murder and a host of other charges including dereliction of duty and damaging a terrorist’s car. Not a single charge should have been made. The lieutenant had shot and killed two detainees after they made a hostile move toward him. Lieutenant...

Rather than some frenzied killing spree, Sharratt says that the Marines in 3-1 Kilo Company raided 22 homes that day, but only fired their weapons in four instances. They took 30 prisoners, and found weapons, thousands of dollars in US cash, and Jordanian passports, and he says that the allegations they murdered civilians are patently false. "The bottom line is," says Sharratt, "what were the Rules of Engagement that day, and did the Marines of 3-1 Kilo Co. follow them faithfully to the best of their ability? That is what this case will hinge on".

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Marine lance corporal took the hand of an Iraqi man he had just helped kidnap last year and used it to strike the face of the bullet-riddled victim, a co-defendant in the homicide case testified Thursday. "He took his hand and kind of played with it and made Mr. Awad hit himself," former Petty Officer Melson Bacos said about his squad mate, Lance Cpl. Robert Pennington, during testimony in a Camp Pendleton courtroom. "He said, 'Quit hitting yourself.' "Bacos' testimony came as the government presented evidence that will lead to its sentencing recommendation when the court-martial...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- The attorney for a Marine corporal who pleaded guilty last month to murder in the 2006 shooting death of an Iraqi man now wants his client to withdraw that plea and proceed to trial. Victor Kelley, the attorney for Cpl. Trent Thomas, told a military judge Thursday morning that he now believes that his client was "acting under the color of lawful authority." The defense move came on what was to be the third day of a sentencing hearing for the 25-year-old St. Louis native, who pleaded guilty on Jan. 18 to murder, assault, kidnapping and related...

The U.S. Marines accused of murder and other charges in the case of the Haditha killings in Iraq cannot get a fair trial, says retired Air Force Lt. General Thomas McInerney.Commenting on Rep. John Murtha's outrageous charges that the Marines of Kilo Company had committed cold-blooded murder of civilians in Haditha on November 19, 2005, McInerney said that the Pennsylvania Democrat's declaration "has certainly prejudiced the case."In an exclusive interview with NewsMax.com, the general who served 35 years in the United States Air Force as a pilot, commander, and Joint Force Commander and retired from military service as Assistant Vice...

Our view: Military investigators risking their own cases by failing to use yesterday's technology. Seven years into the 21st century, it's long past time for NCIS to catch up to 20th-century technology.The investigators of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the federal agency responsible for investigating sailors and Marines accused of criminal acts, must immediately start recording their interviews and interrogations of witnesses and suspects with something better than a ballpoint pen. The perils of not doing so are apparent to anyone following the Article 32 hearing of Marine 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan, who stands accused of assaulting three Iraqis in...

A new batch of troops tries to win over Haditha, where 24 civilians were slain by their predecessors.HADITHA, IRAQ — More than a year after two dozen civilians were killed here in what prosecutors call an appalling case of wanton murder by four Marines, a new batch of troops is trying to win the hearts and minds of the public.But as they patrol the narrow, winding streets and try to protect themselves from a deadly, unseen enemy, the November 2005 incident hangs like dust in the air.

Justice Denied!This memorandum by the civilian defense attorney in the 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan Article 32 hearing has just been obtained and is presented here for the first time. MEMORANDUM From: David SheldonTo: Investigating OfficerSubj: Article 32 hearing ICO United States v. PhanDate: 28 January 2007Sir,1. On behalf of my client, I wanted to state for the record the following: (a) The defense believes a classification review should be undertaken without delay. We ask you to make this recommendation; (b) Your recommendation that an investigation into the testimony and conduct of both certain NCIS agents and the three Marines at...

NORTH COUNTY -- An attorney for a Marine lieutenant charged with assaulting three Iraqis last year is alleging that a hearing officer violated his client's right to a fair hearing. David Sheldon contends that actions and comments made by Lt. Col. William Pigott during an Article 32 hearing on Camp Pendleton that ended Sunday were unprecedented in his 16 years as a defense attorney handling dozens of military cases.Pigott presided over a four-day hearing for 2nd Lt. Nathan P. Phan, a 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment platoon commander charged with assaulting Iraqi civilians during efforts to obtain information about insurgent...

The leak of a detailed report into the killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005 may have a wide-ranging impact on the prosecutions of eight Camp Pendleton-based troops charged in the incident, a longtime military attorney said Monday. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, "a lot of legal motions will be filed to dismiss the charges," because the leaks and their press coverage could make it difficult for the defendants to obtain a fair trial, said Jane Siegel, a retired Marine Corps attorney. The attorney, who now works in private practice in San Marcos, is representing another Marine...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Marine officer accused of assaulting three Iraqi civilians last spring is really a hero, a hearing officer was told Sunday."You have a young officer sitting at our end of the table who was trying to protect his Marines," defense attorney Lt. Col. Matthew Cord said at the conclusion of a hearing that will determine if 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan is ordered to court-martial. "He deserves a medal and they're trying to put a knife in his back."Cord's comments came as the hearing for the 26-year-old Phan ended with the presiding officer, Lt. Col. William Pigott, saying...

In a dramatic new twist–and suddenly giving credence to those calling for investigations into government investigative misconduct–an NCIS agent admitted on the stand today that a fellow agent altered a statement taken during the investigation against Lt. Nathan Phan, who is currently in Article 32 phase for allegedly assaulting an Iraqi.

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A hearing for a Marine lieutenant accused of assaulting three Iraqis took a dramatic turn Saturday when a witness called in his defense was told he could be facing criminal charges for allegedly lying.Lance Cpl. Andrew Kraus was read his legal rights and informed that he might be charged with making a false official statement and committing perjury during his testimony in a hearing for 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan.The accusation against Kraus came from the lead prosecutor, Maj. Donald Plowman, who told the court he was duty-bound to level the charge.The hearing officer, Lt. Col. William Pigott,...

By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer NORTH COUNTY ---- Marine Corps officials confirmed Friday that Lt. Gen. James Mattis has called for an investigation into who leaked documents recently from a massive investigation of the 2005 deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, Iraq. An attorney representing one of eight Camp Pendleton Marines charged in connection with the incident said Friday it was essential Mattis order the probe given the notoriety caused by a Jan. 6 Washington Post article. The newspaper cited interviews with eyewitnesses who allege four of the Marines had gunned down five men. "A lot of...

<p>CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent testified this morning that notes he took during an interview with a witness whose recollections are being used in the prosecution of a lieutenant charged with assaulting three Iraqi civilians last spring are in partial conflict with the official statement the government attributes to that witness.</p>

CAMP PENDLETON ---- The credibility of three Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents and three enlisted men will be at issue today when a hearing for a Marine officer accused of assaulting Iraqi civilians resumes at Camp Pendleton.The issue arose earlier this month when a lawyer for 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan alleged that statements prepared by the agents based on interviews with the three enlisted men included fabricated material that implicated his client.The contention from attorney David Sheldon prompted Lt. Col. William Pigott, who is presiding over Phan's Article 32 hearing, to halt the proceedings until the agents could be present...

The Haditha Marine case, with its leaks of false information including, possibly, tidbits of confessions, has a recent parallel.Remember the case of Petty Officer Daniel M. King? You don’t?Evidently, neither does the Washington Post, Associated Press, National Public Radio, and the rest of the media that repeats every NCIS rumor as gospel. This is surprising because it wasn't that long ago that the NCIS lied to them all.It was the Daniel M. King case, a few short years ago, that should make everyone suspicious of every leak, and every media report, in the Haditha Marines case.Petty Officer King was a...

Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr. CAMP PENDLETON ---- A trio of Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents testified Tuesday morning about how they went about interrogating a Marine lance corporal and other members of a Camp Pendleton platoon accused of killing an Iraqi man earlier this year. The pretrial hearing for Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr. lasted a little more than an hour but did not reveal much of the substance of the prosecution's case against the seven Marines and Navy corpsman from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. The troops are accused of killing 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad...

Pendleton 8 murder case could be affected The officer presiding over the Article 32 hearing of Marine Lt. Nathan Phan, accused of assaulting an Iraqi last spring, has “called a halt” to the hearing until three investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service can be brought to court and questioned by both sides of the courtroom about the possibility that they fabricated evidence in an effort to convict Phan on the assault charges. The accusations were made by defense attorney David Sheldon during testimony by witness LCPL Christopher Faulkner. Faulker told the court that a statement the law enforcement agency...

NORTH COUNTY -- The investigative practices of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service will be under scrutiny later this month when three of its agents are expected to take the stand in a Camp Pendleton courtroom to answer an allegation they fabricated parts of statements being used in the prosecution of a Marine lieutenant.David Sheldon, an attorney for 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan, alleged Friday that the agents added information into the statements taken from three Marines last spring that said they saw his client taking part in the assault of Iraqi civilians. The information they added, Sheldon contends, was false.Those same...

SALT LAKE CITY During her visit to Lebanon last week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought extradition of five men–one of them missing Utah Marine Wassef Ali Hassoun, a Lebanese newspaper reported. The Daily Star said in a story posted on its Web site Monday that the Lebanese government has refused persistent U.S. requests to hand over the five Lebanese citizens. However, it quoted an unidentified Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying the refusal was not final, and the request was currently under study by officials. "We have no official final comment at this point,'' the spokesman told the newspaper. A...

Marine fatally shot at Miramar barracks SIGNONSANDIEGO NEWS SERVICES 10:37 a.m. January 19, 2006 MIRAMAR – A Marine was found dead of a gunshot wound Tuesday in his barracks at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.Sgt. Francisco D. Aquino, 25, of Hidalgo, N.M., was declared dead in his room at 8:32 a.m. Tuesday, according Sgt. Nathan LaForte.The Naval Criminal Investigative Service was handling the probe, LaForte said.Aquino was an auto mechanic assigned to Marine Air Control Squadron 1, Marine Air Control Group 38, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, he said.Aquino was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from February to March...