Lawyer: Classified information will prove Schmidt’s actions ‘reasonable’

Alan Sayre
The Associated Press | Air Force Times

Maj. Harry Schmidt, 37, is scheduled Thursday to face four dereliction-of-duty charges in an administrative hearing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Guantanamo prisoners may move to U.S

Reuters

"It's astounding to me that these cases have been pending for so long and nobody came up with a contingency plan."

Local Soldier Arrested For Child Pornography

The Associated Press | NBC13.com Birmingham,AL

Charles G. Bittner, a member of the U.S. Army, was arrested at his Phenix City apartment after authorities found a computer and compact disks containing explicit child pornography.

Administration Changing Review at Guantánamo Bay

NEIL A. LEWIS and DAVID E. SANGER
The New York Times - Washington, DC

The administration...is still struggling to come to grips with the new legal situation the court created at Guantánamo, which was chosen to house the detainees explicitly with the expectation that it was outside the reach of United States law.

Hill Air Force Base - Utah

Nonjudicial Punishment (NJP) - Article 15, UCMJ

Hilltop Times
Capt. Griffin Dunham - Staff Judge Advocate's Office

...a captain [O-3] from the 75th Logistics Readiness Squadron violated Article 134 of the UCMJ by fraternizing with another Airman from his squadron. For this misconduct, he received a suspended forfeiture of $500 and a reprimand.

Apostate JAG - Bravo Zulu!!

Hicks won't receive justice: Mori

TheAge.com.au - Australia

His military lawyer [U.S. Marine Corps] Major Michael Mori said in an interview his client would not receive justice within the outdated system.

Guantanamo trials not up to Britain's standards: Blair

Channelnewsasia.com - Asia, Singapore

"We have concluded that the military commissions process does not provide guarantees to the standards that we require," Blair said...

Report: Guantanamo Prisoners May Move to U.S.

Reuters

Consolidating the proceedings in one court would avoid transporting prisoners and government lawyers to federal courts across the country...

Mayport Naval Station, FL

Man Accused of Toddler's Murder in Court

WAWS TV- FOX30 NEWS ONLINE

Joel Medina-Torres is facing a second degree murder charge in the February death of 18-month-old Timothy Johnson, Jr.

Court ruling puts tribunal under greater legal scrutiny

Hope Yen
The Associated Press | Chicago Sun Times

The [Supreme Court] ruling suggests that military tribunals also could be questioned as unlawful in federal courts, which isn't currently allowed.

Soldier's beating draws 2nd inquiry

Steve Lannen - Central Kentucky Bureau
Lexington Herald-Leader

Neither the scope nor the significance of the new investigation was immediately clear since the chief who wrote the letter was unavailable yesterday.

Guantanamo detainee case sent to Calif.

GINA HOLLAND, Writer
The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Justices said Wednesday that the appeals court should look at the outcome of a separate enemy combatant case.

US takes new step to bringing Guantanamo detainees to trial

Agence France Presse | Channel News Asia - Singapore

Many military lawyers, including Michael Mori who was assigned to represent Hicks, are questioning the legality of the system, saying it is unjust because the executive branch of government completely controls it.

Worried Pentagon rushes to try Hicks

Marian Wilkinson - Washington | Mark Forbes - Canberra
Theage.com.au - Australia

"They said the Supreme Court decision almost certainly means the rules governing the military commissions will have to be rewritten to satisfy US civilian courts that they can guarantee minimal rights for detainees who are to be tried."

U.S. alters missing Marine's status

Patrick O'Driscoll
USA TODAY

Military officials had suggested Hassoun had left on his own in an "unauthorized absence."

Pentagon Caught Off-Guard by Supreme Court Detainee Ruling

Alex Belida
Voice of America News - Washington, DC

Since the decisions were handed down Monday, Pentagon officials have had little to say other than to tell reporters the rulings are being reviewed by defense department lawyers.

ORBUSMAX

Bombing of Canadians to be proved 'reasonable'

The Toronto Star

The air force barred Gittins from having classified materials because he did not have the proper clearance. But Gittins said that ban was overturned in May by the U.S. Court of Military Appeals.

U.S. military appoints tribunal to try three Guantanamo detainees

Paisley Dodds
The Associated Press | San Diego Union Tribune

...panel members are two Marine colonels, an Air Force colonel and an Air Force lieutenant colonel, it said. Smith said one alternate also was named.

Witness: Senior officer present when detainee died

Captain's testimony places military intelligence commander at scene in Abu Ghraib prison

Jackie Spinner
The Washington Post | Oakland Tribune

Capt. Donald Reese, commander of the 372nd Military Police Company, said he was summoned one night in November to a shower room in a cellblock at the prison, where he discovered the body of a bloodied detainee on the floor.

Hearings to start for Marines accused in prisoner death

DARRIN MORTENSON, Staff Writer
North County Times, Escondido, CA

A week after hearings began for three Army soldiers accused of abusing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, proceedings in an older case of alleged prison abuse involving Marines will open next week at Camp Pendleton.

Friendly-fire pilot to present classified info

CTV.ca News Staff, Canadian Television

Gittins was barred from holding classified information by the air force for his lack of security clearance. The lawyer said the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned that ban in May.

Tribunal appointed to take three Guantanamo detainees to trial

USA Today

These would be the first military tribunals convened by the United States since World War II.

Guantanamo Prisoners Likely to Challenge Trials

Will Dunham
Reuters

"Essentially what it's done [the Supreme Court ruling] is it's now put the commissions process on trial, and the fairness of it," said military lawyer Army Maj. Mark Bridges, assigned to represent Ali Hamza Ahmed Sulayman al Bahlul of Yemen, charged in February.

Court orders due process for Guantanamo prisoners

Guy Taylor
The Washington Times

The Supreme Court yesterday reaffirmed that U.S. courts have legal authority to rule on challenges brought by foreign nationals held at Guantanamo Bay.

Key General Defends The 'Gitmo' Way

Christian Science Monitor | Military.com

Miller is regarded as a central figure in the prison case because of his role in attempting to transfer lessons in intelligence gathering and interrogation from the detention facility at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo to Iraq.

Late entry

Kitty Hawk sailor charged with murder of 1-month-old son

Nancy Montgomery
Pacific Stars & Stripes

Seaman Robert J. Howard, 21, is charged with murder, maiming, eight counts of assault and three counts of making false official statements.

Commentary

President doth protest too much

MARIANNE MEANS | Syndicated Columnist
Hearst Newspapers - Washington, DC | Seattle Post Intelligencer - Seattle, WA

The administration is not coming clean about what happened. Nobody in authority has been held accountable.

Report: CIA suspending harsh interrogation tactics

The Associated Press, Washington, DC | WLUC-TV - Negaunee, MI

...suspended techniques include feigning suffocation, "stress positions," light and noise bombardment, sleep deprivation, and making captives think they are being interrogated by another government.

JAG Hunter here: Huh? Guess it's clear now why Air Force magistrates tried to block granting a security clearance to Maj. Schmidt's civilian defense counsel, Charles Gittins.

Attorney: Air Force has classified information showing accidental bombing was reasonable

ALAN SAYRE, Writer
The Associated Press |Heraldtribune.com | Southwest Florida

"It is confidential information that the Air Force has suppressed since the day of the accident," said Gittins, who has long said that classified materials are important to his case.

Saddam to Be Charged by Iraqi Judge on Thursday

Alistair Lyon
Reuters | My Way News

Saddam would be charged with crimes against humanity for a 1988 massacre of Kurds, the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, said Salem Chalabi, a lawyer leading the work of a tribunal that will try the former Iraqi leader.

Army Plans Involuntary Call-Up of Thousands

Will Dunham
Reuters | My Way News

The move -- involving the seldom-tapped Individual Ready Reserve -- represents the latest evidence of the strain being placed on the U.S. military, particularly the Army...

Tribunal appointed to take three Guantanamo detainees to trial

USA Today

The Pentagon's announcement came a day after the Supreme Court issued a ruling that prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay should have access to U.S. civilian courts to appeal their detention — a decision considered a major blow for President Bush's stance that the United States can jail suspects without judicial review.

JAG Hunter here: Abuse of power and command discretion that's just unbelievable!! Reckless and out of control instead are those who administer the military justice system. If this military trial goes forward it threatens a federal conviction for an alleged traffic violation.

Oconee County soldier faces traffic court-martial

The Associated Press | AccessNorthGa.com, Watkinsville, GA

Sgt. 1st Class Perry Antonio Hayes, 36, who is serving with the Army's 1st Armored Division in Baghdad, is charged with disrespect toward a superior officer, disobeying a lawful command, speeding and reckless driving...

Debate continues over rules U.S. uses for interrogations

Lillian Thomas
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Pittsburgh, PA

"It is just mind-boggling that they would write that," said Solis. "Military necessity is supposed to be a limitation on military acts.

Sailor Charged With Suffocating Girlfriend's Toddler

Flora Fair | Editor
News4Jax.com | Jacksonville, FL

Joel Antonio Medina-Torres, 23, was charged in the death of Timothy Johnson, his girlfriend's son.

Fort Campbell, KY

Soldier Charged with Kidnapping and Sexual Assault

Police say two girls were rescued by their friends. A Fort Campbell soldier has been charged with kidnapping them and sexually assaulted one of them.

NewsChannel 5 Network, Nashville, TN

As a 13-year-old girl and her 10-year-friend walked to a Clarksville gas station, police say Fort Campbell Soldier Johnathan David Loynes was watching nearby.

A 20-year old sailor from the USS OKLAHOMA CITY. Instead of "up scope," it's "up-skirt."

Man arraigned on charge of photographing girl in fitting room

JOHN HOPKINS
HamptonRoads.com | Pilot Online - VA

Delgado is accused of taking a digital camera into the fitting room of an Old Navy store in the 1300 block of Greenbrier Parkway and taking pictures of the girl.

JAG Hunter down here: Italicized emphasis in the quote is mine... couldn't help it.

The next beheading?

Missing Marine was from Lejeune

Eric Steinkopff
The New Bern Sun Journal, NC

The U.S. military's official statement, according to the Associated Press, is that Hassoun, a Muslim whose family lives in Utah, has gone on "unauthorized absence."

Judge: No delay in courts-martial

DARRIN MORTENSON, Staff Writer
North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County News

[Sgt.] Pittman is accused of hitting and karate-kicking Hatab and otherwise assaulting other prisoners at the make-shift prison that Marines established during the invasion of Iraq and ran through the summer of 2003.

Camp Lejeune, NC

Bail set for Marines charged with robbery

The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, NC

Robert Bower, 19, and Anthony Washington, 23, were charged in an incident in which two men pulled behind a car about 1:45 p.m. Sunday on 27th Avenue North. The men robbed a couple who had just left the Omega Pancake House...

Legal challenges expected at Guantanamo

IAN JAMES, Writer
The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

One federal lawsuit is already pending in Seattle challenging the lawfulness of tribunals, on behalf of detainee Salim Ahmed Salim Hamdan of Yemen.

He's now battling his employer -- the U.S.

Assigned to defend Osama bin Laden's driver, a Navy lawyer upsets some by refusing to 'roll over'

JONATHAN MAHLER
The New York Times Magazine
(Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter Mike Barber contributed to this report)

In a matter of days, Swift and other lawyers for prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay and in a naval brig in Charleston, S.C., will begin to test the limits of the victories they won yesterday in the Supreme Court.

The saga never ends...

Friendly fire pilot may yet stand trial: report

CTV.ca News Staff | Canadian Television

CTV News has learned that the deal Major Harry Schmidt struck with the U.S. Air Force -- to drop all charges -- has fallen through.

ORBUSMAX

Court: Foreign Terror Suspects Can Use U.S. Courts

Reuters

By a 6-3 vote, the justices ruled that American courts do have jurisdiction to consider the claims of the prisoners who say in their lawsuits they are being held illegally in violation of their rights.

Court: Bush can order citizens to be detained without trial

USA TODAY

The ruling is the largest test so far of executive power in the post-Sept. 11 assault on terrorism.

Bush Can Hold Citizens Without Trial

ANNE GEARAN
The Associated Press | My Way News

Iraq Group Issues Threat to Behead a Missing Marine

JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
The New York Times

... the kidnappers said they had sneaked into an American base, lured Corporal Hassoun out and then kidnapped him.

Marine Missing, But Coalition Can't Confirm Hostage Reports

DefenseLINK News| American Forces Press Service

A news release from the Coalition Press Information Center said Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, has been missing from his unit since June 21.

Coalition forces confirm marine missing

United Press International | The Washington Times

CNN said a tape from the alleged captors said the Marine enlisted man had been lured from his base in Iraq and then captured.

JAG Hunter here: Pray! Pray hard for this young Marine and all his cohorts who're "On Watch" and In Harms Way.

Captive US marine faces execution in Iraq

Aljazeera.Net

US marine corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun has been missing in Iraq since last Monday, a spokesman for the US Marine Corps confirmed in Baghdad late on Sunday.

JAG Hunter bullet: American military trials fail to meet any fairness standard so long as they're run by commanders themselves immune from prosecution.

Rumsfeld: Fate of Britons in Guantanamo Uncertain

Voice of America News

British Attorney General Peter Goldsmith Friday criticized U.S. plans to use military tribunals to try Guantanamo detainees, saying the tribunals do not meet global standards for a fair trial.

What Is A Court-Martial?

nbc4.com
Washington, DC

Guardsman's competency questioned

Judge again declines defense request to hire psychologist

JEFFREY M. BARKER | Reporter
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

If convicted of the crimes, Anderson could spend life in prison without possibility of parole.

Inside the Ring

Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times

Fort Lewis, WA

Soldier enters no plea at arraignment

The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Ryan G. Anderson, 26, also declined to say whether he wanted to be tried by a jury or a judge during his court-martial, which is set to begin Aug. 16.

JAG Hunter bullet: Britain's AG underscores one of the precise points this humble website struggles to profile. U.S. military trials are politically driven. They're as unreliable as they're unacceptable. Innocents are doing time right now in U.S. military prisons in service to the unchecked hubris and criminal incompetence of senior commanders.

Britain labels US military trials as 'unacceptable'

Reuters | ABC News Online

"Fair trial is one of those, which is the reason we in the UK have been unable to accept that the US military tribunals...offer sufficient guarantees of a fair trial in accordance with international standards."

Major Harry Schmidt...

183rd Pilot Defense Fund as Important as Ever!!

Click here for more information...
Media can contact Mrs. Joan Schmidt at (314) 892-1206

Ryan G. Anderson, 26

Soldier accused of trying to help terrorists enters no plea

The Associated Press | KING5.com - News for Seattle, WA

His court martial is set for August 16 at [Fort Lewis] south of Tacoma.

U.S. Readies for Draft

Dave Eberhart
NewsMax.com

If, however, another front appears on the nation’s already extended battle lines – N. Korea or Iran, for instance – all bets may be off. And the preparations underway today could mean that a draft could be up and running in just a matter of months.

Security tight as President Bush arrives to meet with allies in Ireland, then travels to NATO's summit in Turkey

Britain's Top Lawyer Criticizes US Over Guantanamo Prisoners

Michael Drudge
Voice of America | London

British Attorney General Peter Goldsmith has issued his opinion in a speech prepared for a meeting of the International Criminal Law Association in Paris Friday night.

ORBUSMAX

JAG Hunter here: U.S. military trials are routinely and correctly condemned as unfair and unreliable, no matter form or forum.

Britain revives Guantanamo rift

Andrew Cawthorne
Reuters

Britain has long said it believes rules laid out by Washington for tribunals to try detainees are unfair, but Goldsmith's remarks, hours before a visit to Europe by U.S. President George W. Bush, drew fresh attention to the dispute.

U.S. soldier busted with counterfeit yen

Mainichi Shimbun - Tokyo, Japan

Stephen Williams, 21, a soldier of the U.S. Marine Corps, denied the allegations during questioning, claiming that he had only exchanged dollar bills for the note without knowing it was a counterfeit.

No longer a criminal proceeding...

Schmidt withdraws court-martial request

Pilot faces possible administrative penalties

LISA KERNEK | Staff Writer
Springfield State Journal Register - Springfield, IL

"I feel very good for Maj. Schmidt and for his family," Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Thursday. "It sounds like a very good result, and I'm very pleased that we were able to, in a modest way, express our position on it in support of Maj. Schmidt who served our country in Afghanistan."

Air Force abandons pilot's court-martial

Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times

...Maj. Schmidt will not be discharged immediately, but instead will be allowed to serve three more years to gain the full retirement benefits of a 20-year veteran.

ABC TV

'Guantanamo' is something to think over

Robert Bianco
USA TODAY

...one of the report's most troubling aspects is its claim that the tactics used in Abu Ghraib came from Guantanamo.

Army officers to be charged

Fort Carson-based pair to face 2 counts in alleged suffocation of Iraqi general

Miles Moffeit, Arthur Kane and Eileen Kelley | Staff Writers
Denver Post

"In the military, commanders rather than prosecutors ultimately decide whether to launch criminal proceedings against soldiers."

British official rips U.S. Guantanamo plan

The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"...we in the UK have been unable to accept that the U.S. military tribunals proposed for those detained at Guantanamo Bay offer sufficient guarantees of a fair trial in accordance with international standards."

Minister attacks Guantanamo trial

The planned military tribunals for terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay are unacceptable, says the British attorney general.

BBC NEWS | UK

The UK government has always voiced reservations over the trial plans. Lord Goldsmith is underlining the point.

No Court-Martial For Mistake Bomb

The Associated Press | CBS News

[Civilian defense attorney Charles] Gittins said his client did not want to fly for the Air Force anymore because he feels he has been "second guessed in a combat situation by people sitting back in the air-conditioned comfort of the Pentagon."

Ex-Justice Dept. lawyer defends advice

Matt Kelley | Writer
The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

One of the most controversial arguments was made by then-Assistant Attorney General Jay S. Bybee, now a justice on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Air Force dismissing charges against Harry Schmidt

The Associated Press | The St. Louis Post-Dispatch - St. Louis, MO

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he was relieved that the "long and emotional ordeal for the Schmidt family" was nearly over.

U.S. 'friendly fire' pilot avoids court martial

CBC News

In a court martial, he could have lost his flying privileges, could have been kicked out of the military, and could have faced prison."

The ordeal finally ends after more than two years...

U.S. pilot won’t face charges

Major who killed Canadian soldiers to accept administrative punishment

Toronto Star - Toronto,Ontario, Canada

Maj. Harry Schmidt has accepted an offer to face administrative punishment in exchange for dismissal of four counts of dereliction of duty...

Legal experts slam torture policy process

White House rebuffed memo saying Bush could be above law

James Sterngold | Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle - CA

"The constitutional analysis on the president's power was the most shocking thing. These are totally new powers. These are very bald-faced and categorical assertions. Federal criminal laws become inapplicable."

Closing the barn door...

Justice Dept. Rewrites Advice on Detainees

CURT ANDERSON
The Associated Press | My Way News

"The reason the original memo was so damaging was that it was consistent with a pattern of conduct from Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay to Iraq," Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law professor at George Washington University...

Soldiers Face Charges in Iraqi's Death

The Associated Press | My Way News

Scott Silliman, a Duke University law professor and former officer of the Judge Advocate General's Office, said he has never heard of a military officer being charged with homicide in the death of an inmate.

Fallout from the prisoner abuse scandal...

U.S. Drops U.N. Bid for War Crime Shield

EDITH M. LEDERER
The Associated Press | My Way News

The U.S. decision does not make American troops in Iraq more open to prosecution, since neither Iraq nor the United States are members of the International Criminal Court...

Program transcript

PAPER TRAIL

PBS Online NewsHour: Controversy Continues Over White House Role in Abuse

Senate Democrats and Republicans Wednesday debated the Bush administration's declassification of legal documents related to the abuse of prisoners in U.S. custody. Two experts discuss the documents and the implications of their release.

Papers detail dissent on detainee handling

R. JEFFREY SMITH
The Washington Post | Charleston Post Courier - Charleston, SC

Two officials said the memos were written by Air Force Maj. Gen. Jack Rives, Marine Brig. Gen.Gen. Kevin M. Sandkuhler and Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Romig.

No death penalty in Army spy case

Jim Haley
Lynnwood Herald - Lynnwood, WA

Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano, commanding general of 1st Corps at Fort Lewis, made the decision June 9, and the Army announced it Wednesday.

National Guardsman won't face death

Lynnwood man is accused of offering to help al-Qaida

JAKE ELLISON | Reporter
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

"Specialist Anderson disclosed the means and methods to destroy U.S. Army equipment and to kill U.S. Army soldiers..."

CNN Retracts Rumsfeld Allegation

Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
NewsMax.com: Inside Cover Story

CNN had egg on its face yesterday after being forced to retract a report that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had approved a form of torture know as "water boarding" for al-Qaida prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay."

Soldier Faces Court-Martial in Terror Case

MELANTHIA MITCHELL
The Associated Press | Guardian Unlimited

Anderson grew up in Everett, where former classmates at Cascade High School have described him as a paramilitary enthusiast who was passionate about guns. He began studying Islam while attending Washington State University.

U.S. Army reopens accidental beating probe

United Press International | Washington Times

After first finding no incidence of misconduct, the Army said it is now reopening the criminal investigation.

JAG Hunter here: Now in the public arena is SECDEF's memo that clearly sanctioned intimidation without injury. Not clear is how firing a nearby gun differs from threatening prisoners with attack dogs to instill fear necessary to illicit intelligence. Why did Col. West face any type or kind of discipline for carrying out what we now know was an approved DoD policy?

Failure of Command

Jed Babbin on Lt. Col. Allen B. West on National Review Online
(NRO Contributor Jed Babbin was a deputy undersecretary of defense in the first Bush administration, and is now an MSNBC military analyst)

After tossing out a soldier who killed a prisoner, how does it help to court martial another who intimidated a prisoner without injuring him, and actually got information that may have saved American lives?

JAG Hunter bullet: Did Lt. Col. Allen West know about these SECDEF approved interrogation techniques when faced with court-martial, forced separation, and lost retirement benefits 120 days before he hit 20-years service?

Rumsfeld OK'd harsh treatment

John Diamond
USAToday

The documents reveal Bush, senior administration officials and hard-pressed commanders in the field grappling with the need to extract information about future terror attacks from suspects skilled at defeating many interrogation techniques.

Prisoner Abuse Highlights

The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Among the techniques that Rumsfeld approved on Dec. 2, 2002, in addition to yelling and stress positions:...

Update: Mission creep...federal government and community policing

HPD won't join 'cold case' unit

Jim Dooley
The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's Newspaper

Among those participating will be personnel from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and from the Army's Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, which has expertise in the analysis and identification of human remains.

Good link to documents on the web...

White House responds to critics with policy disclosure

Judy Keen
USA Today

Unrelenting questions about the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners and Bush's declining political standing forced them to bare their policy discussions.

How did Gary Shafto die? What prisoner abuse policies are sanctioned by SECDEF for use at Fort Leavenworth?

U.S. Approved Use of Dogs Against Prisoners

Steve Holland
Reuters | My Way News

...in December 2002 Rumsfeld approved tactics such as forcing a detainee to stand up for up four hours, forced isolation for up to 30 days, deprivation of light, use of 20-hour interrogations, removal of clothing, forced shaving of facial hair, "inducing stress by use of detainee's fears (e.g., dogs)," and use of mild physical contact that did not cause injury.

White House Press Briefing transcript

Press Briefing by White House Counsel Judge Alberto Gonzales, DOD General Counsel William Haynes, DOD Deputy General Counsel Daniel Dell'Orto and Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence General Keith Alexander

PR Newswire (press release) - USA

Mr. Haynes used the word "extraordinary" to describe this session and this release several times in your presentation. And, certainly, I've covered this White House since day one and never seen anything like this. It is extraordinary.

'They said this is America . . . if a soldier orders you to take off your clothes, you must obey'

We know about Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib but until now Bagram and America's secret network of Afghan jails have come under little scrutiny. In a major investigation, Duncan Campbell and Suzanne Goldenberg discovered a familiar pattern of violent abuse and sexual humiliation

Duncan Campbell and Suzanne Goldenberg
Guardian Unlimited - Special reports

An in-depth investigation by the Guardian, including interviews with former Bagram prisoners, senior US military sources and human rights monitors in Afghanistan, has uncovered widespread evidence of detainees facing beatings, sexual humiliation and being kept for long periods in painful positions.

JAG Hunter here: Before our very eyes we see the intrusion of "plausible deniability." My surmise: One document not released is the one wherein the tactic being employed here was proffered. No matter, the outcome, the intent is to immunize senior commanders from criminal prosecution under the UCMJ, leavin' regular grunts hangin' out to dry. Take particular note this hefty document production came just one day after Military Judge Pohl ruled the generals had to testify under oath.

White House releases interrogation memos

Thom J. Rose | Correspondent
United Press International

Asked to explain what measures constitute torture and which could be acceptable interrogation techniques, Haynes said, "Techniques cannot be considered in isolation."

'I never ordered torture,' says Bush

President states in memo that he has right to suspend Geneva Conventions

The Associated Press | The Toronto Star (Canada)

"President Bush claimed the right to waive anti-torture laws and treaties covering prisoners of war after the invasion of Afghanistan, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorized guards to strip detainees and threaten them with dogs, according to documents released today."

dis·a·vow tr.v. dis·a·vowed, dis·a·vow·ing, dis·a·vows. To disclaim knowledge of, responsibility for, or association with. [Middle English disavowen, from Old French desavouer : des-, dis- + avouer, to avow; see AVOW.] --dis”a·vow“a·ble adj. --dis”a·vow“al n.

JAG Hunter bullet: Whatever relevance the memo carries now is irrelevant. Relevant instead is the interpretation and real-world application of the DoJ memo in 2002, 2003, and January through mid-May 2004 by DoD civilian and uniformed officers. Viewed this way, the 50-page writing possibly represents exculpatory evidence in the courts-martial of American soldiers.

White House Disavows Interrogation Memo

Scott Lindlaw
The Associated Press | My Way News

"That 50-page memo dated Aug. 1, 2002, will be replaced because it contained overbroad and irrelevant advice, senior Justice Department officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity."

(First and) Foremost: a Linux computer forensics tool

Phil Hochmuth | Network World
Computerworld

"Written by agents in the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Foremost can read through files and file headers on PCs or copied PC hard disk images."

JAG Hunter bullet: Silence is agreement. Some JAGs knew and did not go public. Other JAGs knew and were complicit.

JAG Lawyers Warned of Manipulation of Prisoner Rules

Jackie Northam
National Public Radio's Morning Edition (audio)

"Many JAG lawyers say their advice was disregarded as the White House sought to tweak the laws of war for political ends."

White House To Release File On Prison Interrogation

Papers Intended To Counter Growing Perception Pentagon Authorized Torture

WKMG Local6.com | Orlando, FL

"The 2-inch stack of papers, due to be released late Tuesday, is intended to counter what White House aides fear is a growing perception that the administration authorized torture as an interrogation technique."

U.S. to Hand Over Legal Custody of Saddam

Jim Krane
The Associated Press | My Way News

"...the United States will retain physical custody of Saddam and the prisoners, while giving Iraqi prosecutors and defense lawyers access to them..."

Pentagon: Methods were OKd

Craig Gordon
Newsday Washington Bureau

"The Pentagon plans to release declassified memos as early as today showing that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved harsh interrogation techniques..."

Flurry of suicide attempts at Guantanamo

Matt Kelley | Writer
The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"We think that pushing someone to the brink of suicide, particularly where the person comes from a culture with strong taboos against suicide, and it is evidenced by acts of self-mutilation, would be a sufficient disruption of the personality to constitute a `profound disruption,'" Bybee, now a federal appeals court judge, wrote to White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales."

Case against woman in abuse scandal delayed

Jim Polk
CNN

"An Article 32 hearing, comparable to a preliminary hearing in a civilian court, was scheduled to start Tuesday but was postponed by mutual agreement of the parties, the Army spokesman said. It is now scheduled to take place the week of July 12."

JAG Hunter here: Nothing new. Senior commanders, aided and abetted by staff JAGs, have demonstrated for decades their contumacious disregard for the rule of law to the detriment of soldiers and sailors alike. That rights of the accused are of no consequence in this instance is merely an extension of long standing internal, executive policy.

Generals ordered to testify on abuse

Steven Komarow
USA TODAY

"Defense attorneys said their case will hinge in part on the soldiers' state of mind, including a belief that top levels of government saw inmates as terrorists who didn't deserve rights."

U.S. Commanders Ordered to Provide Prison Testimony

Jackie Spinner | Staff Writer
Washington Post

"By allowing the interviews, Pohl appeared to signal a willingness to explore what is emerging as the main line of defense for the seven soldiers accused of abusing and humiliating detainees at Abu Ghraib..."

Lawyers Can Summon Generals in Abuse Case

TODD PITMAN
The Associated Press | My Way News

"Questioning senior officers who run the Iraq war could shed light on interrogation techniques and help determine how far responsibility for the abuse extends up the chain of command."

U.S. Soldier in Iraq Prison Leash Photo Faces Court

Reuters

"England has said she was instructed to pose for the pictures by her superiors and was just doing her job."

"Eau de tanker..."

Inside the Ring

Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times

"Some in the Pentagon are starting to use "tanker stink" to describe senior Air Force members whose careers are on hold because they might have had some role in awarding a contract to Boeing Corp. for leased aerial refuelers."

U.S.: Central Command confirms murder case

The Associated Press | Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"The accused officer, who is a captain [O-3], was provided a defense attorney by the Army Trial Defense Service..."

Good question...

Analysis: Some see risk to U.S. troops from Defense Department's hiding of detainee

Sandra Jontz
Stars and Stripes | European edition

“How would we like it if our people fell into the wrong hands … and were kept incommunicado and off the books?”

Militarychiefs are drawn into prison abuse trials

Toby Harnden in Baghdad
news.telegraph.co.uk

"[Military Judge, Col James Pohl, presiding over pre-trial hearings in Baghdad] accepted defence arguments that Gen John Abizaid, commander of US forces in the Middle East, and Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez, his deputy in Iraq, should answer questions about the allegations."

Commentary

A Pentagon memo undermines the US Constitution

Alia Malek
Special to The Daily Star | Beirut, Lebanon

"If the United States can indulge in an a-la-carte approach to human rights protections, what can we expect from the rest of the world?"

SEALs on drugs...

Navy SEALs caught up in drug sweep

James W. Crawley | Staff Writer
San Diego Union Tribune

"Drug use by such forces is worrisome, said defense analyst Ivan Eland, because the small units, often working in hostile territory, require teamwork."

The war on terror becomes a terror of its own

DOUG SAUNDERS
The Globe and Mail - Canada

"Jack is a seasoned U.S. military-intelligence officer who has personally taught the black arts of interrogation to hundreds of agents -- including many interrogators at Cuba's Guantanamo Bay..."

Pentagon to release Rumsfeld 'torture' memos

Officials insist techniques did not violate international law

Jamie McIntyre
CNN Washington Bureau

"...Pentagon officials strongly disputed the contention that the aggressive techniques, including the use of dogs to induce fear, constituted torture."

Lawyer: Akbar's mental state key

Army's treatment of Muslim soldier will get attention

MICHAEL A. LINDENBERGER
Louisville Courier Journal - Louisville, KY

" Col. Ben Hodges, one of those wounded, has declined to speculate on whether the court-martial will convict Akbar but said he will get a fair trial..."

Probe targets reserve officer

Army Col. Danny Nobles has been accused by a group of activists of attending a rally for President Bush while wearing his Army uniform

KEVIN HOWE | Staff Writer
Monterey County Herald

"Army Col. Danny Nobles, garrison commander of Fort McCoy, Wis., has been accused by a group of activists of attending a May 7 political rally for President Bush while wearing his Army uniform..."

US officer faces hearing in slaying

The Associated Press | Boston Globe

"The case stems from a May 21 incident in which US soldiers conducted a high-speed chase of a vehicle that they believed was carrying suspected members of Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, which has been fighting US forces."

Abu Ghraib prison declared a crime scene

The Associated Press | Newsday.com

"...the judge turned down a request to seek testimony from higher-ranking witnesses, including Defense Secretary Donald H."

Navy secretary to lead reviews in Guantanamo

Bill Gertz
The Washington Times

"The Navy secretary will be the responsible official for managing the long-term detention review."

JAG Hunter here: Command influence was made unlawful under Article 37 of the UCMJ enacted in 1951 (punishable under Art. 98). And yet, although the illegal practice has been rampant for 53 years, no senior commander has ever faced prosecution for the act.

Court-martial's quirks designed especially for armed forces' needs / Military justice puts more power in commanding officer's hands

Matthew B. Stannard | Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle

"It is the commander who will decide whether there is to be an investigation, whether somebody will be charged and with what offense, whether it will go to court martial ... or whether we'll look the other way and pat him on the back..."

Soldier's lawyer wins right to question top commanders

WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press | Newsday.com

"Sgt. Javal S. Davis' father said President Bush knew the type of tactics low-level soldiers were ordered to use against detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison..."

Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton handles 600 courts-martial per year with 16 JAGs. Reportedly DoD's most stressed legal services office.

Military justice often swift

HENRI BRICKEY and LISA O'NEILL HILL
The Press-Enterprise - Riverside, CA

"If a case makes the military look bad, there is the fear that the commander may directly or indirectly convey to jurors that the punishment needs to be particularly harsh..."

Most Guantanamo Detainees Pose No Threat

New York Times News Article | Reuters.com

"Contrary to the repeated assertions of senior administration officials, none of the detainees at the U.S. naval base in Cuba ranked as leaders or senior operatives of al Qaeda..."

Abuse hearing begins Tuesday

Justin Willett - Staff Writer
Fayetteville Online - Fayetteville, NC

"England's defense team has prepared a witness list that includes Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other high-level administration officials."

JAG v. JAG

Hicks lawyers 'won't be intimidated'

The Australian - Australia

"[Australian Broadcasting Company] radio today said an American military justice official had written an email suggesting Hicks' lawyers Stephen Kenny and US marine officer Michael Mori be investigated by ethics bodies over their allegations their client had been mistreated while in US custody."

Unlawful command influence that may reach all the way up the chain-of-command to President Bush.

U.S. court-martial to hold hearings for three soldiers on Monday

Todd Pitman
Associated Press - Boston Globe

"Bergrin also contends that senior U.S. military officers sanctioned harsh treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison and said he would look for evidence that Davis was simply following orders."

But the military trial process will be "as accessible as possible..."

Phoning it in from Article 32 hearing

Keith Jordan - New Media editor
Fayetteville Online - Fayetteville, NC

"Electronic media are not allowed in the room. News coverage will mostly be TV reporters standing outside the building and telling their audiences what they saw, and newspaper reporters writing stories for the next day's paper."

Lawyer Wants Bush on Witness Stand Over Iraq Abuse

Michael Georgy and Matthew Green
Reuters

" 'No one can suggest with a straight face that the MPs (military police) acted alone,' said defense lawyer Guy Womack, representing Specialist Charles Graner, who faces the most serious charges of the soldiers to be court martialed."

W. Va. soldier faces hearing on Iraqi prisoner abuse charges

England's photos in Abu Ghraib made her target

Michael A. Fuoco
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"...officers had praised the MPs for their treatment of detainees and said to 'keep it up.' "

JAG Hunter here: Maybe DoJ's "Bybee memo" introduced as evidence in the defense of unlawful command influence. This JAG gets it. Good job!!

Soldier's Attorney Wants Prisoner Abuse Charges Dismissed

Associated Press - WTOV9.com - Steubenville, OH

"The lawyer for Sgt. Javal Davis said that he will ask the judge to dismiss the charges because of 'improper command influence' extending all the way up to President George W. Bush."

Hicks lawyers 'face US probe'

Melbourne Herald Sun - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia

"...yet another effort in a campaign of smears, innuendo and implicit threats of adverse professional actions that's part of a concerted effort to harass and intimidate members of this office."

U.S. Soldier Charged in Fatal Shooting of Hurt Iraqi

Reuters - Yahoo News

"The U.S. soldier then approached the car and shot the wounded [driver] to death at close range..."

JAG Hunter here: Columnist Ignatious' article subtly states four elements crucial to the defense of soldiers now facing courts-martial (or already convicted): 1) Interrogation techniques being used are approved at the highest levels of our government. The pictures we've seen, the narrations we've heard and read about were not the isolated random acts of "six morons" at Abu Ghraib. 2) Military commanders issued orders (in what form isn't yet clear) to carry out this aggressive and extreme intelligence gathering program firmly believing the orders were legal, approved by the highest levels of U.S. government. 3) Even if alleged by any outside interest or agency, military commanders, with top-ranking civilians, would be protected. And lastly, 4) It was foreseen and foreseeable that junior troops would provide at least a partial shield from accountability climbing the chain-of-command. Take careful note the defense suggested to protect senior government officials from prosecution isn't offered by defense JAGs to their very junior clients currently facing courts-martial (or already convicted).

Torture memo very clear

David Ignatius
The Cincinnati Post

The third defense was that even if interrogators should someday be charged with torture, they could cite special mitigating circumstances, such as "necessity" or "self-defense." These factors "would potentially alleviate criminal liability," even if an interrogation method "might arguably cross the line drawn in Section 2340." In other words, even if you do something illegal, we can get you off."

The view from the Pentagon

Military police dogs demonstrate their skill

Spc. Joshua McPhie
Pentagram staff writer

"Harvey sees the demonstration as a way to increase the public's awareness about military police dog teams."

Commentary

The dogs of war

Derrick Z. Jackson
The Boston Globe

"DOGS HAVE been such a hideous instrument of state terror that their use on Iraqi prisoners is cause alone for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign."

Rights Group Blasts America's 'Secret Detention Centres'

Mark Sage
PA News, in New York (posted in Scotsman.com News)

“The United States government is holding prisoners in a secret system of offshore prisons beyond the reach of adequate supervision, accountability, or law...”

United Press International: Exclusive: Army probing racism charges

Mark Benjamin - Investigations Editor
United Press International

"This is a story about how disappointing it is to have the courage to bring up wrongdoing, not only as chaplain but as a staff officer," Taylor said. "To be ignored and to be ignored by your command -- and then to be shot back at with felony charges that were all dropped -- disappoints you."

JAG Hunter here: President Bush's sanction for secret arrests and detention of our enemies represents invitation and approval for secret arrests and detentions of soldiers, sailors, well - all Americans who are kidnapped overseas. We will reap what's been sown.

Rumsfeld Defends Secretly Holding Suspect

Matt Kelley
Associated Press - My Way News

"Rumsfeld ordered the Joint Chiefs of Staff to have the prisoner secretly detained on the day last year when [CIA Director] Tenet made the request..."

This afterthought: George Tenet has since resigned!

Bush Backs Rumsfeld in Hiding of Iraq Prisoner

Charles Aldinger
Reuters

"The secretary and I discussed that for the first time this morning..."

NCO's temper outburst leads to jail time, demotion

Steve Liewer
Stars & Stripes European edition

"Hopkins also was accused of showing two soldiers M-16 bullets with the names of Steele and another officer on them the next day..."

Court-martial set for soldier charged in Iraqi man's death

Steve Liewer
Stars & Stripes Pacific edition

"The division released few new details about the crime, but a charge sheet obtained from the division’s staff judge advocate identified the victim as Muhamad Husain Kadir."

U.S. torture policy under scrutiny

Frank Davies
philly.com - PA

"Bybee, now a federal judge in California, concluded that CIA and military interrogators could legally use a range of coercive techniques that fell short of torture, and that the president's wartime powers override any criminal laws governing torture and mistreatment."

Rumsfeld Ordered Secret Arrest in Iraq

Matt Kelley
Associated Press - My Way News

"Rumsfeld ordered the Joint Chiefs of Staff to have the prisoner secretly detained on the day last October, when Tenet made the request..."

Military judge denies motion to throw out Al Halabi case

By Denny Walsh and Pamela Martineau
Sacramento Bee Staff Writers - CA

"There is a lack of any indication of malice," [Judge] Brand said, adding that, when mistakes were realized, "clarifications and adjustments" were made to avoid prejudicial error.

JAG Hunter here: Marine recruiter with a female recruit pointing to his ribbon rack - "And I got this medal for gallantry and bravery conspicuously displayed during one of our (f)riskier panty raids..."

Marine recruiter found guilty of rape

James W. Crawley
Staff Writer - San Diego Union Tribune

"The rape occurred April 10, 2003, in the back room of a Riverside recruiting office when the recruiter asked the victim, a then-17-year-old high school student, to examine his uniform and medals."

JAG Hunter bullet: Motto at Abu Ghraib: "Pain is weakness leaving the body."

Students feel military calling, parents not so sure

William Ferchland
Tahoe Daily Tribune - CA

"Ansel and Amanda both said they support America but not the war in Iraq. It's a stance Williams appreciates, as long as they don't violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice."

JAG Hunter here: "R and R and R" - Recruiters raping recruits...

Inland Marine guilty of rape

LISA O'NEILL HILL and HENRI BRICKEY
The Press Enterprise - Inland Southern California

Rapes overall in the military are not necessarily rare, Schinasi said, but "what might be is the fact that a recruiter had raped a recruit."

Soldier: Commander Tried to Change Report

Matt Gouras
My Way News

"The commander has refused to comment on the allegation."

Pentagon Admits Holding Iraqi in Secret

Matt Kelley
Associated Press - My Way News

"The military has held the man in Iraq since October without assigning him a prisoner number or notifying the International Committee of the Red Cross that he is a prisoner"

Marine to serve prison time instead of returning to duty

Associated Press - Biloxi Sun Herald, MS

"Sentencing had been delayed since April, when Parish's attorney and a Marine Corps spokesman told the judge he may qualify for active duty if the court did not withdraw his probation."

Yahoo News press release

House Committee Approves Hoyer Amendment on Prisoner Torture

Amendment Reaffirms U.S. Policy Against Use of Torture

"The torture of these human beings simply does not reflect the manner in which American soldiers and citizens should, and are expected to, conduct themselves. It also puts at risk our own citizens and soldiers who are captured by our enemies..."

US Senate Passes Anti-Torture Measure in Wake of Iraqi Prisoner Abuse

Deborah Tate
VOANews.com - Washington

"The measure, an amendment attached to an overall defense bill, would require Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to issue guidelines to ensure that treatment of detainees meets standards set in U.S. law and in international agreements."

Nonjudicial punishment - Article 15 UCMJ

Hilltop Times - Nonjudical Punishment

Capt. Griffin Dunham
Staff Judge Advocate's Office - Hilltop Times, Hill Air Force, UT

"A staff sergeant from the 388th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron violated Article 92 of the UCMJ by disobeying an order to submit to anthrax and smallpox vaccinations."

CBS 4 Denver: Ft. Carson Soldier Sentenced After Sex Sting

news4colorado.com - Denver,CO

"Staff Sgt. Robbie Infinger, a cook with the 10th Special Forces Group, was found guilty Tuesday in a court-martial of attempting to have sex with a 14-year-old girl and attempting indecent communication with a minor."

'Treat them like dogs': prison commander told

Sydney Morning Herald - New South Wales, Australia

"[Lieutenant General Miller] said they are like dogs, and if you allow them to believe at any point they are more than a dog then you've lost control of them."

Two Iwakuni servicemembers sentenced for auto-parts thefts

Hana Kusumoto
Stars & Stripes Pacific Edition

Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Guantanamo Spy Case

Reuters

"Among the reasons the defense said it was seeking to have the charges dismissed was that it discovered that a key investigator in the case was being investigated on charges of raping children."

U.S. likely to hold Saddam past June 30

Despite demands of Iraq?s interim prime minister, officials say the country?s former dictator probably will not be part of turnover

Newsday.com (with combined news services)

"Speaking at the White House, President George W. Bush said Hussein and other senior figures of his Baath Party government will be turned over to Iraqi custody only when "appropriate security" is in place."

JAG Hunter down here... Saddam Hussein is a declared U.S. Prisoner of War. He's going to be tried before an American court-martial (explaining why the bad man is officially an American POW). News reports Hussein was being turned over to the Iraqis for trial on war crimes are now evaporated. Stay tuned as the path is paved, brick by brick, to march Hussein into the court-martial of all courts-martial. Ya heard it here first.

Copyright - The JAG Hunter

Defense Says Military Botched Guantanamo Spy Case

Reuters

"In court, a prosecutor said there were no grounds to dismiss the case. 'There was not misconduct; there was no malice; there were mistakes,' [Navy] Lt. Cmdr. Robert Crow said."

Media Backgrounder on Courts Martial June 18

U.S. Newswire press release

"A senior legal officer from the Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Army will be available to answer media questions on courts martial procedures, Friday, 18 June at 9:30 a.m. in Room 1E 462. The session will be held on a background basis."

Halabi's attorneys seek dismissal

Scott Marshall
Contra Costa Times

"Defense attorneys also alleged that the lead investigator in the case, Special Agent Lance Wega, knowingly testified falsely at previous hearings."

Defense tries to get TAFB airman's espionage charges tossed out

Brian Hamlin
The Reporter - Vacaville, CA

[Defense Attorney] Rehkopf further charged that prosecutors intentionally had withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense, including known translation errors in a letter used to prove supposedly illicit ties between Al Halabi and the Syrian government and a spurious interpretation of a common Muslim symbol."

Meester awaits Air Force Academy release

Marco resident plans to graduate from Florida university in 2005

Billy Bruce - Staff Writer
Naples Daily News - March Island Eagle, FL

"The defense team planned to appeal Brand's previous ruling against their charge that Meester was the victim of improper command influence when the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff allegedly pressured academy commanders to send Meester to trial."

Investigator in Guantanamo interpreter case now faces own charges

Kim Curtis
Associated Press Writer (heraldtribune.com: Southwest Florida)

"Citing 'repugnant and illegal government and prosecutorial misconduct,' Rehkopf and Al Halabi's two Air Force lawyers filed their 50-page motion to dismiss on May 21."

JAG Hunter here: Normally the term dog fight, in military parlance, describes air combat.

ARMY DENIES GENERAL COMPARED PRISONERS TO DOGS

NBC Newschannel 6 - Pocatello, ID

"According to Brigadier General Janis Karpinski -- [Lieutenant General] Miller told her last year that prisoners 'are like dogs.' "

Lawyer: Army investigating injury to Ky. soldier at Guantanamo

Detroit Free Press - MI

"A lawyer for a Kentucky soldier injured while posing as an uncooperative detainee during training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Monday the Army has opened a criminal investigation into the case."

Stevensville Guantanamo guard returns home

K. AARON VAN OOSTERHOUT - Correspondent
The Herald-Palladium

" 'Nothing like (Abu Ghraib) ever happens at Guantanamo Bay,' said Kingsley, referring to the abuse scandal at the Iraq prison."

32-year old Navy man...

Norfolk Man Accused of Poisoning 9-Year Old Son

WAVY-TV - Portsmouth, VA

"Schmidt Celestin was arrested May 18th, and is charged with 'maliciously causing bodily injury by means of acid, lye, or a caustic substance or agent, or by use of an explosive or fire.' "

Guantanamo Cell Tapes Turned Over to U.S. Officials

Jane Sutton
Reuters

"They document 500 to 600 instances where the teams, called the Immediate Response Forces or IRFs, were called in to move or restrain prisoners..."

Guantanamo Interrogators Use Tea and 'Mental Chess'

Jane Sutton
Reuters

"The military has acknowledged that the techniques were used in Iraq after recommendations from the former Guantanamo prison chief on ways to get more information from detainees."

Iraq abuse 'ordered from the top'

The US commander at the centre of the Iraqi prisoner scandal says she was told to treat detainees like dogs.

BBC News

"Gen Karpinski said more damaging information was likely to emerge at those trials."

Ex-Navy pilot sent to prison for smuggling Ecstasy

Paul Shukovsky
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"He threatens the fine reputation and steadfast commitment of the men and women of the naval service who are deserving of the utmost respect and recognition."

Iraq Prison Abuse Copied Guantanamo Bay Methods, Karpinski Says

Beth O'Connell
Bloomberg.com

"The abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib jail came about with the introduction of methods used at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba that treated detainees 'like dogs'..."

Letter to the editor from Gitmo's deputy PAO...
(Published in The Times Record Online - Fort Smith, AK)

Guantanamo Officer Addresses Backlash

"I recognize that people sometimes impute bad acts in one place to another place simply because it is the same organization. There are news stories which speculate that if abuse occurred in Iraq, then similar abuse must have occurred at Guantanamo."

Lt. Cmdr. Robert Mulac
U.S. Navy Command
Spokesperson/Deputy Public
Affairs Officer
JTF-Guantanamo Bay

On the difference between The Red Cross and lots of red faces...

Interrogation abuses were 'approved at highest levels'

Julian Coman in Washington
news.telegraph.co.uk - UK

"The biggest bombs in this case have yet to be dropped."

Editorial

More Pentagon waste

Promises of budget reform are wearing thin.

Omaha World-Herald

George Orwell… meet Franz Kafka

Tom Engelhardt
TomDispatch.com

Buyers of bootleg CDs, DVDs rob companies of billions

Jennifer H. Svan
Stars and Stripes Pacific edition

"...servicemembers are warned against buying illegal knock-offs prior to temporary duty or port visits in countries known to have a piracy problem."

Experts reject Bush lawyers' stand on torture

David G. Savage and Richard B. Schmitt
Los Angeles Times (reprinted in Boulder The Daily Camera - CO)

"Congress lacks authority ... to set the terms and conditions under which the president may exercise his authority as commander-in-chief to control the conduct of operations during a war," the memo asserts.

Guantanamo Lawyer Wants Access for Clients

IAN JAMES
Associated Press Writer - (at Newsday.com)

"The president and the Pentagon have decided that they will define the crimes, prosecute people, adjudicate guilt, and dispense punishment..."

Maj. Schmidt wins...

Inside the Ring

Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times

Article 32 scheduled for later in June

Soldier's defense team wants 100 witnesses from Cheney on down for Abu Ghraib case

Cindi Lash and Michael A. Fuoco
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - PA

"... military investigating officer, the presiding authority at the Article 32 hearing, will decide which witnesses are most relevant."

Secret world of US jails

Jason Burke
The Observer - UK

"The ghost prison network stretches around the globe."

Guantanamo Bay tapes turned over to US officials

Reuters - New Zealand Herald

"The general, who took over the prison's operation two months ago, said he was confident military police guarding prisoners were adequately trained and that safeguards were in place to ensure detainees were treated humanely."

FLAG DAY 2004

National holiday recognizes fabric of this country' as symbol of freedom

By DONNA HARRIS
Pascagoula Mississippi Press

"Americans are asked to pause for a moment at 6 p.m. and recite simultaneously the Pledge of Allegiance."

Intelligence: The Pentagon—Spying in America?

Michael Isikoff
Newsweek - MSNBC

"It's a new world we live in..."

Apostate JAGs...Well Done!!

Commander Swift Objects

JONATHAN MAHLER
New York Times Magazine

"Swift has what is perhaps the most controversial job in one of the most controversial aspects of the war on terror."

JAG Hunter down here: Commander Fitzpatrick objects too!!

ORBUSMAX

A nation of laws...

Bush says troops told to follow laws banning torture

SHANNON McCAFFREY and SUMANA CHATTERJEE
Knight Ridder Tribune News - HoustonChronicle.com

"The authorization I issued was that anything we did would conform to U.S. law and would conform to international treaty obligations," Bush said.

JAG Hunter here: I guess the question will come down to what the meaning of is is. Or in these situations, what was understood to be lawful or not? Most importantly, now crystal clear is that whatever protocols were authorized in overseas detention centers came to the troops from the top.

Bush says he ordered that laws be followed in prisoner interrogations

WIStv - Columbia - SC

"President Bush says he ordered that prisoner interrogations be done according to law..."

Australian's father doubts fair trial likely

Terrorism suspect charged after being held for 2½ years at Guantanamo prison

By JAMIE TARABAY
Associated Press with Reuters - The Globe and Mail

Case studies in the demographics of today's all-volunteer Army.

Soldiers' story too familiar to draft dodger

VIT WAGNER - POP MUSIC CRITIC
The Star.com - Canada

"They volunteered for a different reason...They've been promised a college education and a way out of the Wal-Mart economy."

Interrogators hired for Iraq despite ban

Matt Kelley - Writer
Associated Press - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Commanders on the ground may use their discretion..."

JAG Hunter here: SECDEF Rumsfeld knew...Maj. Gen. Sanchez knew. Both men loosed the Dogs of War.

Top general backed prison tactics borrowed from Guantanamo

R. Jeffrey Smith and Josh White
The Washington Post (reprinted in The Detroit News)

"Some of the rules for U.S. military personnel at the prison made it easy for people to duck responsibility for their actions, a factor that may also have opened the door to abuse."

Document warns Guantanamo employees not to talk

Toni Locy
USA Today

"It also says that refusing to cooperate with defense attorneys 'will not impact your career.' "

Ex-Guantanamo prison boss denies torture claims

Reuters

"Brigadier-General Rick Baccus was responding to claims by British detainees that they were beaten and humiliated at the camp..."

Army reservist PFC Lynndie England, Army Sergeant Hasan Akbar.

Public to get a glimpse of military justice system at Fort Bragg

Associated Press - News 14 - NC

"The military is aware that the civilian world is skeptical of its system."

Report: Rummy OK'd Prison Rules

KUTV Salt Lake City, UT

"The Wall Street Journal reports Rumsfeld approved the tactics in December 2002. When military lawyers complained about the tactics being used, officials re-examined the techniques and implemented new rules in an April 2003 memo."

JAG Hunter bullet: Well, then, who were the generals' on watch? What aren't those generals charged and facing courts-martial?

No abuse on my watch: Guantanamo general

ABC News Online (Australian Broadcasting Company)

"Brigadier-General Rick Baccus says the methods that have caused international outcry were not used while he was at the jail."

JAG Hunter bullet: Judge Cox now thinks eradicating unlawful command influence a "low priority" (scroll down to Craig Jarvis' article). Wonder when, or if, the good judge ever thought reform of the UCMJ was a high priority?

Chains of Command

The U.S. court-martial constricts the rights of soldiers—and that needs to change.

Beth Hillman
Legal Affairs Magazine

"Equally important to the demise of civilian oversight was the further development of resistance within the military."

Spate of military cases results in scrutiny

Public gets view of justice system

Craig Jarvis - Staff Writer
Newsobserver.com - NC

"The military has long been aware that the outside world is skeptical of its system, in which proceedings are overshadowed by the chain of command that regulates all of military life."

Accused spy criticised Guantanamo conditions

Adam Tanner
Reuters

"...Halabi criticised the prison conditions at the base after his arrest in Florida a year ago..."

ORBUSMAX.COM

DoD: $100 million down the drain...and no accountability!!

Pentagon wasted millions on plane tickets

Vicki Allen
Reuters

"The report was the latest criticism of waste at the Pentagon, known in the 1980s for buying $600 toilet seats and $400 on hammers."

Lawmakers urge Pentagon to probe treatment of Muslim chaplain

Associated Press - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"The letter follows an April 23 request by Democratic Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan and Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts for a Pentagon investigation of the case."

A fundraiser is underway to support Maj. Schmidt's defense...scroll down for more info

A VICTORY FOR 183RD PILOT

ABC - WAND - Decatur, IL

"Major Harry Schmidt's civilian attorney has been granted security clearance by a civilian appellate court..."

JAG Hunter here: Political grandstanding. Rep. Smith was personally briefed on Army abuses under the UCMJ in the case of Pvt. Corey Cox in August 2002. Cox was imprisoned at Fort Lewis at the time. Smith was cavalier and dismissive. He frankly didn't care about Pvt. Cox...or any other soldier similarly put upon.

Rep. Adam Smith Calls For Investigation Into Prosecution Of Yee

By KOMO News Staff and News Services

"The letter asks the inspector general to determine whether the Army followed the Uniform Code of Military Justice and rules for Courts Martial."