Sham trials have been around for a long time...

1660s justice, American-style

Editorial - St. Peterburg Times
By ROBYN E. BLUMNER, Times Perspective Columnist

"The government's argument in this case has no logical stopping point," the military attorneys' brief continues. "If there is no right to civilian review, the government is free to conduct sham trials and condemn to death those who do nothing more than pray to Allah."

"Sham trials" are undoubtedly the point.

(JAG Hunter note: Ahem...American soldiers and sailors tried by courts-martial have never had a "...right to civilian review." The Supreme Court has routinely opined their incompetence to rule on matters of military law. Called the doctrine of deference, the supremes punt every time to the war-making, that is - the political branches of U.S. government - Legislative and Executive. The Supreme Court has consistently rejected prayers from American servicemen "on the rationale that 'due deference' should be given to commanders' discretionary judgments becaues the judiciary was ill-suited to second guess those decisions."

Oversight of the military's predatory and punitive justice sysrtem has been the purview of the President and Congress for over two hundred years.

One must wonder where Ms. Blumner and her press colleagues have been?

Here endth the lesson.)