How many felonies were committed by this "senior pentagon" chair warmer by leaking info about an ongoing investigation?
And in related news ... 
Posted on 06/06/2006 4:26:35 PM PDT by bnelson44
WASHINGTON - U.S. military investigators believe the killing of an Iraqi civilian on April 26 was planned by a small group of Marines who shot the man and then planted a shovel and an AK-47 rifle at the scene, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday.
The AK-47 and the shovel, which were taken from another home before the shooting, were meant to make it look like the man had been digging a hole for a roadside bomb and was killed in an exchange of gunfire, the official said.
Seven Marines and a Navy corpsman are being investigated in this case, but no charges have been filed. All eight were removed from duty with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment in Iraq and are being held at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
(Excerpt) Read more at localnewsleader.com ...
EXTREMELY dissapointing if true.
The MSM seems intent on demonizing our Marines. Who do they think protects their fat butts? The unattributed / anonymous / Iraqi stringer reporting that is the basis for most of this is nothing more than a well run psy-op in my opinion.
I just love this whole; "Unnamed official whose department and possible access to information must remain secret: I believe that investigators believe..." kick that the media's been on the last few years. It's just an excuse to publish erroneous information and avoid responsibility.
Well, our "sources" said...
I'm sure it's from "anonymous sources". Geez! The media gets increasingly transparent in their hysterical accusations!
I don't see any reason to believe it.
How many felonies were committed by this "senior pentagon" chair warmer by leaking info about an ongoing investigation?
And in related news ...
I'd like to know any possible motive for these guys to kill a civilian in the first place, much less fashion an elaborate coverup.
I don't buy ANY of that.
Unless the investigators have a Ouija Board or a crystal ball, the only way they could "believe" this is for someone who was there to have described it.
The question then becomes: how reliable is this "witness"?
Might not the dead Iraqi actually been doing exactly what the scene suggests?
Nailing a bunch of Marines (legally) in the process is simply a bonus.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1644592/posts
Letter From Iraq
Here's an email we received from a U.S. military officer who asks us to withhold his name:
I am currently stationed here in Iraq and have been here for the past 11 months; I am an adviser to the Iraqis and meet them on a daily basis. I have been in many locations in the country and am involved on a daily basis together with the Iraqis fighting the insurgency.
The media manipulation by the insurgents is brilliant and extremely effective. The press has become a puppet for the insurgents; the insurgents know exactly what they are doing with these "massacres" (quoted here because the investigation has not been completed, nor have any charges been filed) and the political nightmare they will cause the current administration. Bodies are produced for film, and there is zero fact-checking by the media--the media eat up this "news" like there is no tomorrow. A couple of hundred bucks paid by the insurgents to a few guys/ladies in the town where this "massacre" occurred to make up some bad news and pine for the BBC's or CBS's or whoever's cameras is a nice month's salary for many and money well spent by the insurgency.
All the Arabs (Sunni and Shia), Kurds and Chaldeans I have come to know well here will tell you that Arabs are emotional people who tend to exaggerate. A lot. Experience has shown that "50 insurgents hiding out in XX location" is five, at most 10. "Three hundred dead" at the morgue is at most 40. "A huge cache with WMD" is 45-50 weapons. It is a cultural norm and is accepted over here as a norm. It is reported in the West as fact. With no fact-checking.
When we convoy, all in the town/village know when and where there is a bomb/IED/VBIED that is targeting coalition forces. This is not so true in Baghdad, but in the outlying towns all know. What is the culpability for those people in the village/town? Would the Marines be guilty in the U.S. under the same circumstances?
I do not know whether or not the Marines are guilty. A Marine's job is to "close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver," and I can guarantee its effectiveness. But the insurgents have the ear of the press. Hopefully the politics will be put aside for the investigation and the facts will be told, whatever they may be.
"The AK-47 and the shovel, which were taken from another home before the shooting"
I'm sorry - according to the Drive-By Media, weren't these supposed to be UNARMED civilians?
Next thing these monsters will do is encourage calling Marines "baby-killers" and want to spit on them.
These idiots may still think it's 1968 and they are reliving their glory days but they have miscalculated: People like me won't stand for this crap against our brave men and women in the military and will do something about it!
I'm sure they'll find source material in "The Collected Anti-American Speeches of John Kerry"
This from SoCalPol on another thread:
NBCSanDiego.com
More
Jeremiah Sullivan III
Lawyer Of Sailor Accused Of Killing Iraqi Breaks Silence
Navy Corpsman, 7 Marines Allegedly Kidnapped, Killed Man In April
POSTED: 3:42 pm PDT June 6, 2006
UPDATED: 3:55 pm PDT June 6, 2006
SAN DIEGO -- The attorney for a local sailor accused of the killing of an Iraqi civilian speaks out about the case for the first time.
At an afternoon news conference, Jeremiah J. Sullivan III said his client, a Navy Corpsman, is shackled and being held in solitary confinement in the Camp Pendleton brig. Seven Marines are also accused of kidnapping and killing an Iraqi man on April 26. Sullivan said his client has not been charged with a crime and that he is being treated worse than a terrorist.
Although he did not reveal the sailor's name, Sullivan did say that his client is 20 years old, has served two tours of duty in Iraq and is the recipient of a purple heart. Sullivan said the investigation started after the Iraqi man's family asked the Marines for reparations.
Sullivan said his client --- along with the Marines -- was inappropriately interrogated for a long period and was threatened with the death penalty. He said that the allegations are a crushing blow to a sailor who has never complained about putting his own life on the line for his country.
"We're all sitting here waiting," said Sullivan on Tuesday. "Wwhere are the charges? Where is the investigation? Why are our clients still shackled in custody? Why are our clients required to walk across the rec yard with shacked hands, feet, and the defense has received nothing?"
Sullivan said he believes his client will be charged within the week and that he expects that his client -- who he said would plead not guilty -- and the Marines will face murder and kidnapping charges.
Previous Stories:
May 29, 2006: Pendleton Marines Held In New Iraqi Death Investigation
Copyright 2006 by NBCSandiego.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
I honestly don't trust a damned think the media says on these subjects. Folks need to be patient and wait for the investigations to play out. If some friend asks questions, tell them to do the same.
We know nothing, the reporter knows nothing...and I bet the anonymous source knows nothing either.
They are really, really barking up the wrong tree if they think attacking our military is a good strategy.
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