Posted on 01/27/2007 2:36:36 PM PST by RedRover
I need help, Freepers, to understand what is going on here.
All: Let me or jazusamo know if you want on the Haditha Marine Ping List!
Well, when MULTIPLE witnesses are disavowing statements that no one has personal knowledge except they and the prosecutor and his staff, I suspect someone's getting Nifong-ed.
If it was just one guy, it'd be even odds whether it's him lying or the prosecutor, but when it's several guys all with the same story, it doesn't look good.
I'm a former Army officer and I don't understand what is going on.
/ sarc
And meteorologists!
This is pretty big. This is called intimidation. After the three testified that NCIS statements were false about Lt. Phan, the prosecution decided to threaten the third with possible criminal charges of lying. The third, Lance Cpl Kraus even went as far as saying he didn't recall ever meeting with the prosecutor (or agent?) in August, and that he didn't recall making the statements that implicated Phan.
Now the convening authority may recommend an investigation in the whole matter. However it's not clear if the NCIS agents will be investigated.
How about NCIS agents are lying scum?
Sorry, friend, I am just as confused, and concerned as you are...
Why would they read the 3rd guy his rights...but not the two other Marines that said that their testimony was changed??
Too many questions, not enough information, I am afraid.
Is there not a blogger that is actually in the courtroom reporting this??
It seems to me that the prosecution is determinded to "railroad" the Marine Lieutenant because that is what he is expected to do. Looks like the other Marines will either cooperate and swear to the validity of the false evidence or the prosecution will "railroad" them too. H@@l of a way to treat our brave Marines.
It's not "lying".....it's misinformed lay interpretation of the Deity's designs.
"In times when the government imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also the prison."
- Thoreau
I'm thinking it takes a Marine Corporal to be able to sort it all out.
That is a distinct possibility.
Most marines aren't lawyers and are kind of busy in Iraq. After the marines are interviewed, NCIS writes up a statement, then gets the marine to sign off on it. Maybe the NCIS agent embellishes a little, maybe he lies, maybe he writes it up truthfully. Doesn't matter. Now NCIS holds all the cards. They know if a marine comes back and says, "Hey, wait a minute, I didn't say all that", the NCIS knows the marine can be charged with making a false statement. In other words, NCIS says he either lied by signing the statement, or he's lying here in court by contradicting the statement. Catch 22.
What possessed these marines(Kraus and the 2 others) to take this risk is beyond me. The only thing that makes sense is that they wanted the truth on record for Lt. Phan. As far as I can tell, they have nothing to gain personally, and are risking a lot.
If the NCO's were in charge we would have finished Iraq a year ago and probably would be getting ready to come home from Iran.
This is a helluva way to fight a war!
Not a soul that I can find, Tx. Though I must say this took people by surprise.
Lt. Phan was under the radar screen. You might say (if you aren't the one being charged) that he was a fairly minor addition to the Hamdania hearings. He's not one of the Pendleton 8, and is not being charged with taking part in the "main event": the kidnapping and shooting of the "kindly, unarmed" Iraqi.
Lt Phan's civilian lawyer, David Sheldon, has contended that the military is only prosecuting Phan because they needed to add an officer's scalp to the wall.
Anyway, most people who might be blogging were waiting for the trial of the remaining main Hamdania defendents and, of course, for the Haditha Marines. But this development has a major impact on all the pending hearings.
As a side note, this development tells you why the JAGs were so eager to get plea deals. They did almost anything, including giving insanely lenient sentences, to keep this from going to court.
This is what happens when the conduct of a war is turned over to scumbag liberal Democrat lawyers (JAG). Maybe the Lance Corporal was too busy memorizing his "thirteen rules of engagement" to know what he was signing? My respect for the Commander in Chief continues to diminish.
You and me, both - this is insane! God bless you for your service!
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