A couple of points:
The previous D.C. case involved a diplomat from Georgia (the country) who was snockered and killed a little girl. Georgia did the right thing and sent him back to face justice where he offended without immunity.
The present case is a HUGE deal in Romania and in particular Transylvania. I have friends there and everyone knows of the victim (they don't have all that many celebrities) and is disturbed by the appearance of American high-handedness.
An article yesterday (I'll go look for a link) said the Marine blew an .09 on the breath test. In Romania the legal limit is ZERO and having any blood alcohol content creates a presumption of liability in an accident. Everyone there is aware of this very draconian requirement of drivers.
There is some dispute over the blood test. Details I have seen so far have been contradictory.
Romania just had a fairly free and clean election a week ago Saturday. Rummy was there in October scouting potential bases. Romania has troops in Iraq. These are good Christian people who are our allies. Yes, they have problems with corruption but in many ways things are at least heading in the right direction.
The Department of State and the U.S.M.C. need to step up to the plate on this one and quick. This Marine should be treated fairly and should not be punished more harshly because he is American, because he is a Marine, or because his victim is a celebrity. If he is sentenced to jail he should not be mistreated while he is incarcerated.
But it is my opinion that when you are in someone else's country you obey their laws or you face their justice. I see no reason so far why this case is any exception.
Don't drive drunk.
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=10309
Romania outraged after US Marine kills civilian
ISN SECURITY WATCH (07/12/04) - Romanian prosecutors were expected today to join forces with the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service arriving in Romania to look into the case of a US Marine who allegedly killed a Romanian rock-star in a car accident on Saturday.
The death of 50-year-old Teo Peter - a prominent musician and producer - over the weekend caused a public uproar after the US Marine, identified as 31-year-old US embassy employee Robert Christopher, refused to have his blood tested for alcohol and was spirited out of Romania shortly after the accident occurred.
According to Romanian criminal law, crimes committed by diplomatic personnel or personnel working for the diplomatic corps, do not come under the jurisdiction of the Romanian state, hence the US Marine “had the choice on whether to submit a blood sample or leave Romania prior to the investigation ending”, said Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Catalin Ionita.
Romanian media have focused much attention on the story, criticizing the government for allowing the US Marine to avoid either national or international justice, and accusing overtly pro-US authorities of condoning the incident. Media also contrasted the incident with a similar one in 1997, when a Georgian diplomat in the US was stripped of his immunity and tried under US law.
The leading daily Adevarul newspaper wrote that US Ambassador Jack Dyer Crouch had shown the sensitivity “of a cyborg” when expressing his regrets for the incident in interviews over the weekend, while the US in general was likened to Imperial Rome and Nazi Germany “whose soldiers, belonging to a superior race, could have killed with impunity as many natives as they wanted”.
The daily Jurnalul National said “some people are more equal than others when it comes to triggering somebody else’s death”.
The public outrage is being viewed with particular concern given Romania’s strong US sympathies. Long before the arrival on the scene of US President George Bush, it was difficult to find a more willing partner in the region for military campaigns than Romania.
Though Romanian authorities have repeatedly requested that the US Marine be returned to Romania for justice, those requests have so far gone unanswered. In a press release on the Romanian Foreign Ministry website, the Romanian government says it has asked the US authorities to both return the US Marine to Romania and lift his diplomatic immunity.
The media has focused in on what they call the authorities’ “weakness”, recalling that Romania was one of the first countries in August 2002 to sign an agreement with the US granting US citizens immunity from prosecution at the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, that agreement has not been ratified by the Romanian parliament, and as such is not yet applicable to US military serving in Romania.
A recent NATO member state, Romania is earmarked along with Bulgaria to host new US military bases to bring US troops closer to operational theaters in the Middle East. (By Anca Paduraru in Bucharest)
I appreciate your reply.
If you read my post # 11, you will see that I said ... "We have miltary laws that cover this, and they will be adhered to."
I intimated no dereliction of treaties, diplomatic processes, or denial of anyones rights, including those of Romania.
I was replying to poster crazy man michael, and his comments in post # 4.
I made a note about not condoning DUI.
My point was to drop all diplomatic immunity and make everyone abide by the laws of the host country. If they are a demented country, why have a diplomat there? If they are friendly and sane, we should respect their laws.
Amen. Don't drive if you drink - ANYTHING! PERIOD.
I also have friends in Romania - lived there for two years as a missionary. They are our good friends and allies and we need to keep it that way.
If you actually read the news coverage, you will see his bac was .09mg/liter. That is the European equivalent to .009 bac. Less than .01%!!!! It has been widely reported that he was "drunk" or "intoxicated", clearly you don't let facts get in the way of a good story.
The Romanian press saw an accident with an American Marine and a rock star and convicted the American without the facts because it so easy to hate Americans. Other facts that I can only hope come out in the investigation (Yes, they are still doing one, even though people like you have already convicted him also.) include 1) BOTH drivers failed to yield at yellow lights and 2) even the Romanian authorities say the taxi driver was ALSO driving too fast.
I am a family member of the Marine, who is devastated over what happened. He has a wife and 2 small children who will all suffer greatly if the U-S decides to use him as a sacrificial lamb to keep Romania "sympathetic" to the war in Iraq.
I thought in this country people were innocent until proven guilty.
The posts on this thread are some of the most judgemental and hurtful things I have ever read. You call this Christian? I hope none of your family members are ever involved in an accident.