Citizen Soldiers

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- The ongoing operations against al Qaida terrorists and Taliban extremists came to a halt briefly Friday in Kandahar for nearly four dozen U.S. soldiers, who traded weapons for pens in pursuit of another common objective -- swapping green cards for papers declaring them citizens of the United States.

Malaria Mutiny feared by Army brass

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. military is worried press attention to a possible link between the recent spate of slayings and suicides at Fort Bragg, N.C., and Lariam, a widely prescribed anti-malarial drug, could prompt soldiers to resist taking it, Army officials tell United Press International.

Marine Major sentenced for fraud

"SAN DIEGO (AP) - A Marine Corps major was sentenced to five years in military prison for plotting to use credit cards to steal $400,000 from the government. Maj. Darryl Phillips was also dismissed from the Corps on Friday and fined $400,000 after being convicted by a military jury a day earlier. For an officer, a dismissal is the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge."

Scarce resources
One day soon somebody in government is gonna wake up and say, Doah! We've run outta troops.

Wrong caption...
BBC News got it wrong. The headline for this work shoulda been Warriors at Work

Gertz & Scarborough
30 Aug - Inside the Ring from the Washington Times.

You'll come to find the Army's by-passed "JAGSVILLE" on their "Road to Reformation."

Pearl Harbor...another surprise?
AP - Did U.S. Shoot first at Pearl Harbor?

Welfare Check
Air Force Senior Master Sergeant
George R. Parsons
Kirtland AFB - JAG HUNTERS is attempting to contact Senior Master Sergeant Geroge R. Parsons. SMS Parsons is Chief, Enlisted Aircrew for the 550th Special Operations Squadron based at Kirtland.

If you know SMS Parsons, have him check in.

Australia snubs the ICC

Protects U.S. Servicemen
from the
International Court
Read more here.

"Counting the Cost of Combat"
Roger D. Carstens does the math.

"Notes from the Pentagon"
Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough's Inside the Ring found weekly in The Washington Times.

"No well-traveled trail..."
Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is all about reforming military affiars. Left out of the equation so far is reform of the military justice system. One can find elements in the UCMJ that go back to Roman times.

This New York Times article illustrates that nothing is impossible. BAD JAGs can be brought to justice. Those who've suffered under their heavy hands can be made whole. All that's missing is the determination and action by the GOOD JAGs and congressional lawmakers.

That's not going to happen if you remain silent.

Contact THE JAG HUNTER with your complaint of wrong. It's time we all started cutting a new road.

JAG HUNTERS...finally a place to drop your dime.

Military Injustice Blog (MIB)
Air Force Military Policeman Christopher Rendazzo

Cheyenne Mountain AFB - Kirtland AFB

Air Force personnel familiar with the case of Private Rendazzo please contact THE JAG HUNTER with tips or information.

JAG ALERT
ARMY JAGs
Captains Coombs & Ku...Phone home!!

Fort Lewis, Washington & Fort Carson, Colorado -

Army Private Scott Vincent DeBiase reports his defense counsel, Army JAG Coombs, waived an Article 32 hearing without the Private's knowledge or permission. According to Private DeBiase, JAG Coombs then backdated court documents to give the false illusion that DiBiase had waived his 32 protection with informed consent.

DeBiase tells us he has attempted 40 phone calls to Captain Coombs without result. Army counselors, Staff Sergeants Halmsteiner and Mora, independently confirm failed attempts to talk to JAG Coombs.

Private DeBiase can be contacted via either SSG Halmsteiner or Mora by calling: 253.967.7190.

By the way, this is another case coming from Army Judge Casida's courtroom.

More on the tactics of the FBI
When you read FBI, think NCIS, OSI, CID. Problem is, no one's watching the military "feds."

Anti-malaria drug linked to depression -- Ft. Bragg connection?
Click here to read more...

Military forms available online
You can find at the Military.com website a great service that makes DoD (Army, Navy, etc.) and VA forms avaliable online. For example, a DD Form 458 - Charge Sheet. Permanent links will be kept up over on the right.

Court orders open hearings

"A government operating in the shadow of secrecy stands in complete opposition to the society envisioned by the framers of our Constitution."

Hey, someone needs to get the word out to the JAGs.

Guardsmen, Reserves extended on Active-Duty

The Pentagon has announced the while all the services have hit their recruiting quotas since 9/11, Guardsmen and Reservists are needed for another year at least. In a ceremony held at the Pentagon last Thursday, the Army announced enlistments for this fiscal year have topped 79,500 with 51, 000 re-enlistments and 28,825 new reservist enlistments. Military.com reports the rest of the recruiting fighres here.

Military Justice Abuse? - Army Specialist LaMel Burleson
Fort Wainwright, Alaska - A tire was slashed on an Army MP vehicle on the evening of 17 July 2001. Then, 30 other vehicles were damaged in the same way two nights later. Specialist Burleson owned one of the damaged vehicles. LaMel, while reporting the damage to his vehicle Army Criminal Investigative Division Special Agents (CID) the following day, was accused of the crimes.

Specialist Burleson later stood before a General Court-martial on charges of damaging private property. He was convicted and to one year's confinement, reduction in rank to Private (E-1), forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a bad conduct discharge. Burleson is presently serving his sentence at Fort Knox, KY.

Specialist Burleson plead innocent.

Reports received by JAG HUNTERS raise several important questions.

If you have information about these events, contact THE JAG HUNTER immediately.

FBI Uses Gestapo Tactics (again)
There is a running joke inside military circles that describes special agents, federal agents, of the OSI, CID, and NCIS as wanna-be FBI agents. Unfortunately, no one is watching the OSI, CID, or NCIS.

Report abuses to THE JAG HUNTER

The Innocence Protection Act at work

From today's New York Times
"Confession Had His Signature; DNA Did Not"

"A judge today overturned the murder conviction of a man in Michigan, highlighting a growing concern over false confessions and the coercion of suspects."

So exactly why is it the Navy-Marine Corps refuses to use DNA testing in the case of Marine Kevin Holt?

How about Military Prison stats and numbers?
U.S. Federal prision population stats and numbers are published regularly. NewsMax.com has a report on the most recent civilian numbers. Now how about information on the military prisons? Anyone who has this data, or knows how to get it, contact THE JAG HUNTER

More problems at Fort Sill
Staff Sergeant Johnny Lessing
needs your help!!
Personnel familiar with the events of the summer of 2000 at the artillery training center, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, are strongly encouraged to contact THE JAG HUNTER with information.

Finally, a place to drop you dime.

NETWORKING IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS!!
This Clarence Paige op-ed piece, if accurately reflecting the thinking and attitudes of the President and Congress, does not instill confidence when it comes to the treatment of our own Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Guardsmen who've not yet received "terrorist" status regarding issues of military injustice.

If we are to succeed, if we are to prevail, we must come together in large numbers and make our voices heard. It's the only way. And here's the place to meet.

Pass the word, and quickly.

Makin' lots of noise
The JAG HUNTER expects better success makin' lots of noise by beatin' on several drum sets. Join the fun. Check in here each day for progress reports and a quick to link to Wiley's comic, The Non-sequitur. That could be Latin for "Military Justice." Wiley is linked way over to the right, at the very bottom. Enjoy.

Flogging The Kaboom
Fred Reed, former Marine, gives us all some insights why it has been so difficult to expose the problems with the military justice system, and why the problem has been allowed to metastasize.

Your in for a treat. Go to Fred On Everything, then click-on "FOE Colunms"

Definition: Bad JAG

bad•jag (bád'jág) - n. U.S Military Law. Slang 1. A uniformed trial lawyer, past or present.

Bag-A-JAG ani't nothin' like Whack-A-Mole

Bag-A-JAG ain't no darn carnival game. And when JAG HUNTERS puts together a case and strikes, the mole, ah...I mean the "Bad JAG" doesn't pop back up.

At last, a place to drop your dime. Send your tips, suspicions, evidence, story links, and your own case narratives to the THE JAG HUNTER

Marine S.W.A.T. Teams Train at Camp Pendleton
This report comes to us via The Scout, the on-base paper at Camp Pendleton

---

Specially trained MPs constitute base's S.W.A.T. force
Cpl. Jose M. Montes, Scout Staff

In the silence of the night, a team of Marines slowly moves toward a house. Once there, they wait vigilantly, and with no warning shout, "military police, search warrant, demand entry!" Following the third warning, they explode through the doorway and into the house.

The Special Reaction Team, a group of Marines that falls under the Special Reaction Section of the Provost Marshal's Office, is a specially trained and equipped unit capable of handling high-risk situations beyond the basic capabilities of the military police, said Gunnery Sgt. Michael C. Scott, section commander.

"It is the military equivalent of a civilian S.W.A.T. team," he said.

The group is a full-time training unit, practicing raids four or five times a month, compared with civilians who train once per month, Scott said.

The 10-man team can do more than just building entries. It also conducts random authorized vehicle and safety inspections throughout the base, as well as perimeter checks.

"We have scout teams who patrol the perimeter of the base and check for undocumented aliens trying to cross the base, as well as any other illegal activity that might be happening near the border of the base," Scott said.

The team also conducts training with the Los Angeles and San Diego Police Department S.W.A.T. teams throughout the year.

"The same schools that civilian S.W.A.T. teams get to go to, we also go through them," said Sgt. Chad Hunt, an SRT team leader.

Although all team members are former military policemen, their gear is different from that of normal MPs.

"We have a lot of neat toys that regular MPs don't have," Hunt said. "We have laser and light-mounted devices on our side arms, which allow us to see in the dark and adds pin-point accuracy."

The team is rarely called upon, but it trains every day to be ready in case the call comes, Scott said.

When it does, there's always an adrenaline rush, Hunt said, because "everything else has failed" and ther's no other recourse for accomplishing the mission.

"A lot of danger is involved in it as well," he added.

Definition: JAGMIRE
jag•mire (jág'mire) - n. U.S Military Law. Slang 1. Present and past practice of military justice. 2.The collected body of unethical, corrupt, corrupted, or criminally complicit judge advocate generals. 3. A difficult or precarious military justice situation; predicament. 4. A military justice bog. - v. mired, miring. 1. To sink or stick in or as if in a jagmire. 2. To intentionally soil or destroy the military career of another or advance one's own career through the unethical or criminal practice of military law.

JAG Priesthood...see JAGMIRE.

JAG ALERT
NAVY JAG - Commander Timothy W. Zeller (Ret.)
Contact the THE JAG HUNTER with information about suspected ethical and/or criminal misconduct of Commander Zeller (now believed to be in private practice). What state(s) is Zeller licensed to practice law?

Zeller's last known whereabouts unknown. Request advise.

JAG ALERT
ARMY JAG and MILITARY JUDGE - Colonel Gary V. Casida
Contact the THE JAG HUNTER with information about suspected ethical and/or criminal misconduct of Judge Casida. What state(s) is Judge Casida licensed to practice law?

Colonel Casida is currently assigned to Ft. Carson, Colorado. He's due to retire shortly so TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

JAG ALERT
ARMY JAG - Captain Ruth Vetter
Contact the THE JAG HUNTER with information about suspected ethical and/or criminal misconduct of Captain Ruth Vetter. What state(s) is Vetter licensed to practice law?

Captain Vetter is currently assigned to the Army's artillery training center, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

JAG ALERT
ARMY JAG - Captain Ricardo Diaz
Contact the THE JAG HUNTER with information about suspected ethical and/or criminal misconduct of Captain Ricardo Diaz. What state(s) is Diaz licensed to practice law?

Captain Diaz is currently assigned to Headquarters, 1st Armored Division, "Old Ironsides," in Wiesbaden, Germany. Before that, Diaz worked at the Army's artillery training center, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Diaz left Ft. Sill in December 2001.

Anti-malaria drug may have triggered murders at Ft. Bragg

Reuters and the Wall Street Journal are reporting there may be a conection between the four spouse murders at Ft. Bragg and an anti-malaria drug called Mefloquine administered to the Soldiers while deployed in Afghanistan.

Contact THE JAG HUNTER if you have information regarding Mefloquine or these crimes.

Confidentiality will be maintained.

Military Injustice Abuses (MIAs) Everywhere!!

Finally, a place to drop your dime. The MIA Hotline.

Contact the JAG HUNTER with your news lead, hot tip, evidence, whatever! Do it now!

Send a JAG to Jail!!

Colonel David Hackworth on Corporate Generals who are also today's Court-martial Convening Authorities

Hack's Target For The Week:
Our Stars Don't Shine Brightly on Today's Battlefields

By David H. Hackworth
"Blood and Guts," "Whiskey Bob," "Hanging Sam," "Iron Mike" and "Vinegar Joe" were just a few of the nicknames our troops affectionately hung on their generals way back when the guys who wore stars were profane, two-fisted, outspoken warriors who won battles. Skippers who led from the front and didn't have a political bone in their mean-as-a-snake bodies. Hell-raisers who said what they thought - the politically incorrect, unvarnished truth - and frequently found themselves in a compost pit like the one Gen. George Patton stepped deeply into when he publicly stated in 1945 that we should arm the Germans, march to Moscow and take out the Soviets before they tried to take over the world.

But since the end of World War II - the last war we won unconditionally - warrior-leaders like the Pattons, O'Daniels and Stilwells have become an endangered species. Ulysses S. Grant wouldn't even make captain in today's military.

The new breed are smooth, well-educated Perfumed Princes like William Westmoreland, who gave us Vietnam; Colin Powell, who didn't finish the job in Iraq; and Wesley Clark, who ran the Serbian War so badly he received his walking papers from the very Clintonistas who created this sweet-smelling pretender in the first place.

Most of these Perfumed Princes might know how to maneuver inside the corridors of power, but in spite of their advance degrees from fine schools, few have a clue about the nitty-gritty of the profession of arms. It's not a subject that's taught at top universities - or war colleges, for that matter, where computer-science classes have pretty much edged out lectures on Kill-Or-Be-Killed.

Once the Cold War settled in, the Pentagon swapped abrasive war-fighter types for social smoothies because of the bottom line. Arming America to stop the Soviets became big business, and with trillions of dollars at stake, the services went to the mat to maximize their slices of the defense-dollar pie. When I worked at the Pentagon in the 1960s, the Navy considered the Air Force a more serious enemy than the Soviets, while my Army bosses held a similar view of the Marines.

As soon as good salesmanship became key to bringing home the pork, it was goodbye war-fighters and hello slickies. Today's generals and admirals are more diplomats than warriors, selected for charisma and good looks rather than their ability to kick butt and take names.

Obviously, these new-style corporate generals need to know Beltway politics inside out, and the way to learn the game is by spending as much time as possible in Washington - far from the often bloody outposts where soldiers and sailors hone their fighting skills.

So since 1945, three generations of increasingly shallow but suave guys and gals have been selectively bred to charm the Gucci loafers off our congressional folks and convince them their own service's latest ship, airplane or tank is more urgently needed to defend America than the competition's. Few of our lawmakers have ever worn muddy boots, so they fall for a pitch, and we end up with platinum-plated junk that doesn't do the job. Stuff like the $2 billion B-2 bombers that sat out the Afghanistan show because of serious operational limitations.

The Army brass hat who originally ran the ground war in Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. F.L. Hagenbeck, pretty much represents today's standard-issue Perfumed Prince. Despite his 31 years of service, he's only had six years leading combat troops. His two master's degrees - physical science and finance - didn't stop him from making a hell of a mess of the initial ground fights of that war, where, on his first major operation, we lost a lot of troops, and the enemy got away because he didn't know his war-fighting trade.

After Lt. Gen. Lloyd Fredendall blew our first major battle with the Nazis in Africa, Ike immediately replaced him with George Patton. Unlike our present CINC for Afghanistan, Gen. Tommy Franks, there's no question Ike would also have relieved Hagenbeck in a heartbeat.

We'll keep losing fights until SecDef Donald Rumsfeld revamps the sick personnel system that's been putting the wrong guys at the top since the 1950s. But with Rummy's record for wielding the hatchet, hopefully he'll start swinging not too far down the bloody track.

Click here for David Hackworth's home page. Send mail to P.O. Box 11179, Greenwich, CT 06831.

Look for his new book, "Steel My Soldiers' Hearts," (Rugged Land LLC, New York City).

© 2002 David H. Hackworth

New Season Premier -- JAG on CBS

Tuesday, August 27
8/7c

"Tribunal"

"In the first military tribunal concerning the events of September 11th, Harm and Mac prosecute a suspected Al Queda terrorist accused of being the chief architect of the attack on New York City."

Hey...just for fun take a look at CBS's "Military Law and Order." Complete fiction to be sure. Click here for more on JAG.

Lt. General T. Michael Moseley stripped of his "convening authority"

SFTT's Paul Connors (with an assist by JPF) sends us this report about Central Command's top Air Force officer caught in the exercise of unlawful command influence. 3-star General Moseley can't discipline F-16 pilots involved in the '"friendly fire" deaths of four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan last April.

"Attorneys for the pilots complained that Gen. Moseley...seemed predisposed to find their clients guilty of negligence, based on a memo he sent to commanders the day after the bombing."

Read more...

Freedom is not free -- A Salute to Warriors!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chief Warrant Officers Milas Turney, 29, and Phillip Rochlitz, 33, warriors who died in your service.

Both men served in the "Second Dragoons" -- 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk, La.

Additional details may be found at the Free Republic or at Tampa Bay Online.

May God bless them, their families, and their Warrior commrades-in-arms of the 2nd Dragoons. Thank them for their service and your Freedom!

Staff Sgt. John Diamond

Army Staff Sergeant John M. Diamond was convicted for the murer of Air Force Captain Marty Theer last September. Diamond was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, reduction in rank to Private (E-1), loss of all pay and allowances, and was given a dishonorable discharge. Diamond is serving his sentence at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kan (a.k.a. The Castle).

Sgt Diamond proclaims his innocence to this day. His family vigorously fights for his release.

After Diamond's trial, the wife of the dead AF Captain, Michelle Theer, was indicted on charges for the same murder. She became a fugitive from the law soon thereafter and was recently captured and arrested in Florida. Pictured at these links: Michelle Theer before she took it on the lamb, and after her arrest.

We're keeping an eye on this one.

JOGGING --The Newest Extreme (and blood) Sport

Definition:
JOGGING means JAG BLOGGING

Use as a noun and verb.

Pass the word!!

Military Injustice Blog (MIB) -- MARINE DOWN!!

Corporal Guillermo A. Douglas

S.L.A. Marshall wrote, in the book Men Against Fire that "an infantryman attacking with his unit was suddenly alone when he dropped to the ground in the face of incoming fire." Nowhere is that more true than when the enemy is a military JAG acting under the mantle of command authority.

You'll read below of the extraordinary exploits, recent and not so recent, of Marnies supporting Marnies. One must wonder why is it then, when attacks come from unethical or corrupt Navy-Marine Corps JAGs, warrior Marines cower and run leaving "every man for himself."

The Special Court-martial (SPCM) of Corporal Douglas is illustrative.

On 15 September 1998 Corporal Douglas was tried by a SPCM convened by the commanding officer, Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia. He was convicted, contrary to his pleas, of three specifications of making false official statements (violations of Article 107, UCMJ). Douglas was sentenced to a bad-conduct discharge (BCD), confinement for 30 days (reduced to 10 days) and reduction in pay grade to E-1.

Douglas has struggled ever since trying to survive carrying the anchor-weight of a federal conviction as reported in his DD-214 discharge papers.

Statements made by the Corporal Douglas were neither false, nor were they official. Charges leveled against Douglas were without merit, and even a cursory reading of his case evokes outrage; more evidence of a military justice system gone haywire.

When Corporal Douglas appealed, he was abandoned by the Navy JAG assigned to assist. She, as other Marines, left Douglas laying in the high-grass, helpless, with no hope of surviving the punishing incoming fire.

We have a Marine down!!

Corporal Douglas has sought help from Congressman Don Sherwood and Marine Corps Commandant Jones to no avail.

General Jones can provide remedy and relief by causing Corporal Douglas' immediate return to active duty, calling for a full investigation into the circumstances of his SPCM, and then taking corrective action to ensure we don't lose another Good Marine to an institutionally corrupt military justice system.

Semper Fidelis isn't just a concept called upon to save the lives of "Legends of the Corps." If it doesn't work for the "Mud Marines," it doesn't work at all.

'Semper Fidelis' saves a life

"Legend: Decades after his heroice in Vietman, relatives and servicemen mobilize to help a dying vet."

Ellen Gamerman of the National Staff of the Baltimore Sun writes about how Marines take care of their own as alerted by Hugh Hewitt on his national radio show. Read on...

A Culture of victory: Lessons of the Old Corps

Richard Botkin, a former United States Marine Corps infantray officer and borad member of WorldNetDaily.com ...writes an inspiring article on the bravery and courage of U.S. Marines - past and present. Word of this work comes to us via Counselor Hugh Hewitt.

"Camp Pendleton is not quite hallowed or sacred ground. No real battles have been waged there, no blood other than in training accidents has been shed for freedom within its confines. Home to the First Marine Division and supporting elements, its 200,000 or so acres of coastal real estate allows for most factes of training which have become Marine Corps hallmarks: amphibious assualts, helicopter-borne raids, and good old-fashioned infantray combat."

These are the kinds of warriors that JAG HUNTERS seeks to protect, "checkin'-six" if you will. Takin' up the rear. As you'll read in this column, the (domestic) enemy is as much to the rear as to their front. Don't let military JAGs outflank our combat Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marnies, and Guardsmen.

To read more about these brave men, land the landing force!!

Semper Fi!!

Living in the Blog-osphere

"Welcome to the world of a half million (and counting) Weblogs, where anyone can instantly publish his passions and favorite Weblinks. And the fun's just begun..."

Read more as Newsweek's Steven Levy comments on the joy of blogging (link courtesy of msncb.com)...

Truth As An Affirmative Defense

Paul Connors with Soldiers for the Truth brings us this Rowan Scarborough piece from The Washington Times.

"A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from one of the Navy's first female combat pilots, who accused a pro-military group of libel in reporting that the aviator qualified for carrier duty through preferential treatment from instructors..."

JAG ALERT
ARMY JAG - Lieutenant Colonel Laurel Wilkerson

Fort Benning, Georgia - Army JAG Wilkerson lied under oath, so says the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF). Because of LTC Wilkerson's perjury, the Record of Trial against PFC Ramon S. Gutierrez, Jr. was returned to the Army Judge Advocate General on 8 August 2002 for remand to a convening authority for a new post-trial recommendation and action.

PFC Gutierrez's General Court-martial took place at Fort Drum New York in the early part of 1999.

An earlier decision by the Army Court of Criminal Appeals (ACCA) was set aside by CAAF as well as the action of the convening authority, LTC Wilkerson's boss.

CAAF Chief Judge Crawford delivered the opinion of the Court and wrote this, "[then] MAJ Wilkerson crossed the line from advisor to active participant [in PFC Gutierrez's prosecution] when she actively participated in a prosecutorial capacity to orchestrate the timing of the Article 32 investigation to force the defense to assume responsibility for the delay."

LTC Wilkerson was betrayed in her lies by her own testimony regarding the schedueling of the Article 32 hearing.

There is no word yet on what Army officials intend to do regarding JAG Wilkerson's demonstrable UCMJ Article 37, Article 98, and other serious offenses.

Known so far is that JAG Wilkerson was promoted and transferred to Fort Benning, Georgia.
JAG HUNTERS want to know what state JAG Wilkerson holds her license to practice law.

Information about the past or current performance of LTC Wilkerson can be e-mailed to THE JAG HUNTER

On Strategy
Colonel Andrew R. Finlayson, USMC (Ret.) is a frequent commentator on the Hugh Hewitt national radio show. Col. Finlayson gives us some important insights on how warriors think, study, train, and execute a war fight. Linked here courtesy of Counselor Hewitt, the lessons are clear: "The first strategy is always to be very strong, first in general, and then at the decisive point." - Carl Von Clausewitz.

JAG ALERT
Army JAG - Major Randy Bagwell

The family of Sergeant John Diamond has vectored The JAG HUNTER to their Web site that complains of the prosecution of their son.

Anyone with informatioin on this case is encouraged to contact THE JAG HUNTER

Hugh Hewitt on "Blogging"
Hugh Hewitt is a nationally syndicated talk show host (and an attorney...but one of the good guys). Counselor Hewitt writes about the wild world of "blogging" in World Net Daily. Check it out. Then get involved!!

JAGNET -- SEND A JAG TO JAIL!!!

Contact THE JAG HUNTER with your evidence!

Your confidentiality will be maintained!!

A JAG HUNTER ANNOUNCES FOR CONGRESS!!

This just in from a new JAG HUNTER:

You sound like my kind of guy. Count me in.

I have decided, after being asked by a reporter who stated, " we do not like either of the two boys in the run for Congress for Congressional District 18 of Calif, why don't you run, Donna". I have decided to run as a write in candidate. I know that I can not win against the good ole boys and all their money, but we can give a voice to the people.

As an Army veteran who joined military as a nurse and was trained by the Army in an all coed infantry as mechanic, mother of US Marine, mother of a daughter who served in US Army, former wife of now deceased US Army veteran of the VietNam War, daughter of US Navy WW 11 Veteran, Step-Daughter of a wonderful Airforce Korean War Veteran, granddaughter of US Army WW 1 Veteran, g-granddaughter of Civil War Veteran etc, I will fight for our Women and Men in the Uniform Services as well as for Veterans and veteran's families. As a nurse for over 20 years who has worked in every area of medical, I will fight for the medical needs of the people. As a daughter who takes care of her 80 year old mother who gets a very little amount of money from Social Security ,altho my mother has worked very hard all her life, I know the needs of our Senior Citizens and I know the problems in dealing with Social Security.

As a mother and grandmother, who knows how a County can very easily cover for Departmental mistakes made within the Child Welfare System that waste your taxpayers dollars as well as causes untold damage to children and families, I will work hard to hold our elected public officials accountable to the public.

As a constituite of Senator Dick Monteif, Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza, Congressman Gary Condit, I know from personal experience that the voices of the people, when " conflict of interest" is involved, are not always heard and I vow NEVER to treat the people the way my family and I have been treated by our own elected representatives. Want to help in sending a voice for you to Congress? I do not care what Political Party one belongs to as long as that person will fight for the people.

Donna Crowder for Congress
209-722-1427

Or you can e-mail: Donna Crowder for Congress

Military Injustice Alert (MIA)

Problems have been reported in the 108th Aviation National Guard unit out of Topeka, Kansas. The 108th is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Victor Brayden. THE JAG HUNTER is on watch, expecially focused on Det. 1, Corp A, 1st of the 108th.

If you have information contact: THE JAG HUNTER

Confidentiality will be maintained.

Military Injustice Alert (MIA)

The following was sent by Kyle O'Dowd, Legislative Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) as relayed by Counselor Donald G. Rehkopf.

DNA / Capital Representation Bill Clears Senate Judiciary Committee!

"The Innocence Protection Act (IPT), which would increase prisoner access to DNA testing and would enhance the quality of representation in death penalty cases, cleared an important hurdel [on 18 July 2002] when it won approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee. The vote was 12 - 7, with Republican Sens. Specter (PA) and Brownback (KS) joining all 10 Democrats in support of the bill.

NACDL has played an active role in shaping and supporting this important legislation. Second Vice President Barry Scheck and Board of Directors member Stephen Bright have testified in Congress and provided input regarding the bill's language. Every bit as important has been our grassroots efforts, with our leadership and membership reaching out to their legislators and other to help build strong bipartisan support.

Now we turn our attention to the House of Representatives, where the companion version of the Act has 240 cosponsors, including 175 Democrats, 64 Republicans, and 1 Independent. Unfortunately, we still lack the support of many of the Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee -- including Chairman Sensenbrenner (WI) and Representatives Hyde (IL), Gekas (PA), Smith (TX), Gellegly (CA), Goodlatte (VA), Chabot (OH), Barr (GA), Jenkins (TN), Cannon (UT), Graham (SC), Hostettler (IN), Green (WI), Keller (FL), Issa (CA), Flake (AZ), Pence (IN), and Forbes (VA). Winning the support of these Members is crucial to our ultimate success. If your congressman is on this list, we urge you to contact him -- ...during the month of August, when he will be back home. For more information about the Innocence Protection Act and a complete list of lawmakers who need to here from us and their contact information, please visit NACDL's legislative Web page.

JAG HUNTERS is aware of several cases wherein Department of Defense officials are furiously working to obstruct the use of DNA evidence to prove innocence of military personnel now behind prison bars.

Lend your voice to the debate.

Become a JAG HUNTER.

Learn more - e-mail: THE JAG HUNTER

Put an end to abuses of our servicemen and women under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

We're recruiting.

MIB - Military Injustice Blog

The Article 32 Is A Command of Congress
No Article 32, No GCM, No Choice!

Congress has mandated under Article 32 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) that “no charge or specification may be referred to a general court-martial for trial until a thorough and impartial investigation of all the matters set forth therein has been made.”
The statute quoted above is the command of Congress to all general court-martial convening authorities (GCM CA). Nothing in this section of the UCMJ allows for choice or discretion. No provisions exist for a GCM CA to avoid this law. The requirement to conduct an Article 32 is binding on all persons administering any provision of the UCMJ.
In the book, Military Criminal Law, author Michael J. Davidson states Article 32s are designed to protect personnel accused of criminal acts with a “thorough and impartial investigation” before a case is sent to trial. It’s the military’s rough equivalent to a grand jury and serves four purposes: 1) to adduce the truth of the allegations, 2) to consider the form of the charges, 3) to record and submit a recommendation to the convening authority as to the disposition of the case and, 4) to allow the accused an opportunity to mount a defense by gathering exculpatory evidence.
Federal prosecutors are barred from bringing cases to trial that have not been first examined by a grand jury. If the grand jury does not indict, no trial can go forward. However, at no point in time is the defendant vested with the power or authority to “waive” a sitting grand jury. In many situations persons who are the focus of a grand jury are not even aware of the ongoing inquiry. The law placing the burden on federal prosecutors of obtaining a grand jury indictment can’t be erased by anyone, certainly not the target of the hearing.
Similarly military defendants have no more sway to dismiss a 32 hearing than they have in dismissing their court-martial. Suspects are not empowered to lift a burden Congress has placed upon GCM CAs.
JAG HUNTERS learned in early May that in the days leading to his GCM; Private. Corey Cox was tricked into unconditionally waiving his Article 32 hearing. One wonders what a conditional waiver of an Article 32 looks like. Pvt. Cox was forced to face charges in a general court-martial not examined during an Article 32 hearing.
Army Lt. Col. Greg Gross, Deputy Staff Judge Advocate at Fort Lewis, Washington, commented in a meeting with this writer soldiers waive their Article 32s regularly. According to Gross, “it happens all the time.” It further appears that Pvt. Cox’s assigned defense attorney, Cpt. Ricardo Diaz, frequently advised his clients to “unconditionally waive” their Article 32 protection.
A federal trial can’t proceed in the absence of an indictment just as a general court-martial can’t proceed without an Article 32.
Any Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, or Guardsman who sits in a military correctional facility today as the result of a GCM conviction achieved in the absence of a required Article 32 may be held under unlawful imprisonment and subject to immediate release. Persons who’ve been convicted by a GCM that did not first enjoy the mandated scrutiny of an Article 32 may be subject to instant remedy and relief. If charges weren’t properly screened through the Article 32 process subsequent GCMs are null and void.
Military attorney or military judges party to a GCM conviction sans the required Article 32 may be subject to prosecution under Article 98 of UCMJ and stripped of their licenses to practice law (disbarment). Any GCM convening authority that has referred charges to a general court-martial without first vetting accusations through an Article 32 may be similarly prosecuted under Article 98 whether or not a conviction was achieved.
Defendants brought to general court-martial without first appearing at an Article 32 are victims of a court-martial factory that’s been running without oversight and out of control for decades. Unwary junior enlisted personnel, operating under a misplaced trust in a system run amuck, have become the gas and grease that keeps the monster machine running using them up as it goes.
Practitioners of military law who participate in deceiving defendants that Article 32 hearings are optional have committed criminal acts by obstruction justice and perpetrating a fraud on a military court. The cast of characters in the Private Corey J. Cox case includes Convening Authority General Maples, Staff Judge Advocate Robert Burrell, Cpt. Ricardo Diaz, Cpt. David Goscha, Cpt. Ruth Vetter, Cpt. MacDonald, and Lt.Col. Jerry Linn.
Then there is the Military Judge, Col. Gary V. Casida.
General Maples materially obstructed Pvt. Corey Cox from appearing before an Article 32 hearing. No indictment no trial. Maples is personally responsible for the unlawful incarceration of an innocent man. Pvt. Cox must be released instantly.
No 32, no trial, no choice!
Congress commands it.

JAG ALERT

JAG HUNTERS seeks information about Army JAG (Judge Advocate General) Ricardo Diaz. Last report indicates Cpt. Diaz is assigned in Germany. Before that - Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Contact THE JAG HUNTERwith any information about Army JAG Ricardo Diaz.

Military Injustice Blog - MIB Fort Sill, Oklahoma

JAG HUNTERS has learned of serious military justice problems at the Army's Artillery Training Center, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

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JAG HUNTERS are on the loose.

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