http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060807/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_rape_slaying;_ylt=AiE_JCq.KK8oztwOf9AWZZes0NU E;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OTB1amhuBHNlYwNtdHM-

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. soldiers accused of raping and murdering a 14-year-old Iraqi girl drank alcohol and hit golf balls before the attack, an investigator said Monday at a U.S. military hearing to determine whether they should stand trial.

If guilty, we should let the Iraqi justice system take care of this.

If guilty, we should let the Iraqi justice system take care of this.

I could live with that.

If guilty, we should let the Iraqi justice system take care of this.

I agree.

I completely agree.

I find it somewhat disgusting that they are talking about this situation of having a court decide "IF" they should stand trial, due to the stresses of the combat area they were stationed in at the time of the crime.

Stress may explain their actions; it certainly doesn't excuse them.

Pardon the Iraqi's in their time of anger about this that they hang the guys.

Innocent until proven otherwise. If they are guilty, their lives are finished. Even if they don't get executed, which they won't. Life in prison at a military prison, I have heard, is horrible. Especially for this type of crime.

:devil

Innocent until proven otherwise.


I agree.

What I am disturbed by is the military justice folks making statements to the effect that they are investigating to see whether or not to charge and taking into consideration the stress they faced being in a dangerous area.

Hundreds of thousands have faced combat stress over the last 40-50 years; why have their been so few crimes such as this if that is a valid concern? It makes me sick to think that there are those who are wanting to make excuses for such behavior. If sufficient grounds exist to charge them, and the confession of one seems to provide a strong starting point, then I would like to see them proven guilty or innocent in a court. It should not be up to the investigating officials to determine whether "stress" should be considered as a causal factor.

I was in the Army, and was under a lot of stress. I never once would have reacted in that way.
These guys are just disgusting. If they are guilty, then there's no punishment severe enough.

It makes me sick to think that there are those who are wanting to make excuses for such behavior.

I agree wholeheartedly with this comment here, though this seems to be the status quo in our society now. By all means, these men innocent until proven guilty, but to dismiss the claim on grounds of stress just disgusts me.

I didn't read anything in that article that stated that they were trying to determine if stress played a part.

The testimony came on the second day of a hearing to determine whether the soldiers should stand trial in the rape-slaying of Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and the killing of her father, Qassim Hamza, her mother, Fikhriya Taha, and her sister, Hadeel Qassim Hamza, in the town of Mahmoudiya.
This may just be a poorly interpreted statement that means that they are in a pre-trial hearing that determines if there is sufficeint evidence.

They also stated that Green was discharged from the Army with a "Personality Disorder". I'd say that was an understatement.

What really, really bugs me (other than the rape/murder/torching of this family) is this sorry excuse:

Also Monday, another soldier, Pfc. Justin Watt, testified that Howard told him before the incident that Green, Cortez and Barker had planned to rape a girl, and Howard was to be the lookout.

"There's nothing I've read that says what to do if your buddies have raped and murdered a family," Watt said.
What goddamn world is this idiot living in? License to operate a spoon, REVOKED!

Quoted from a soldier in Iraq:

"You're just walking a death walk,"

That place sounds as bad or worse than Vietnam was.

I didn't catch in the article where they were determining whether or not to charge them at first.... I some how didn't connect that until the line Tran quoted.

I haven't been following this case that closely but it does seem that there is a confession at least. I detest(sp) this society's way of trying to pass blame on things and trivialize it into something like.... I was stressed! Combat fatigue made me do it! I wanted to be like Dolf Lungreen in Universal Soldier cause he's cool!


"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

So it sounds like they plotted and (IF) they followed through I think they should be turned over to the Iraqi authorities for trial and punishment. We should wash our hands and let them serve justice. In my opinion they stopped being soldiers and citizens of the US when they committed such a heinous act against innocent people. Shit like this hurts us worse than a mis-fired missle into a hospital full of old people and orphans. WTF is wrong with people? It makes me angry and very sad to think that our military and one that I proudly served in has a few dumbasses tarnishing our image like this.

If found guilty by proper military courts, they should recieve the full punishment by UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) Which in this case, the death penalty/life in prison is on the table for the rape alone. With murder involved it is even more of a possibility.

That being said, for fucks sake, allow them due process, the bleeding hearts bitch and moan about how badly we treat prisoners in GitMo but the second a soldier is even accused of wrong doing they want to douse him in gasoline and throw a match on him.

If they're guilty (and unfortunately it looks that way) burn them,alive preferably but give them what their owed, due process in a military court before doing so.

due process in a military court before doing so
Many of us around the world have come to expect the lowest common denominator when it comes to the U.S. Military and their courts:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32164-2004Jul6.html

Six Canadian dead, eight wounded and the pilot was fined $5672.00 and avoided jail time.

Wow, due process at its best!?

Sorry Elemak, I don't buy your "due process" bit after watching the bullshit that transpired in the above story. The U.S. Military covers its ass at every corner and if they have to they blame the low guy on the totem pole and NO one else.

I have seen better "due process" at the local deli, at least there when your number is up you get served.

Cheers,

So we should assume guilt on the spot? And throw out the military court system because in a few cases, where deliberate intent was no present, A guy got off with having his career tubed and having to live with the guilt for the rest of his life.

Yeah thats an outstanding idea.

Lokase thats a bad story yet the COLD blooded murdering of that family in Iraq is entirely different from accidentally dropping bombs on friendlys. Unfortunately it happens from time to time, if it was the other way around..Canadians killed some Americans accidentally in war time settings..think it would go the same way as it did for that guy.

You are right though..I am not impressed with the Military and its handling of war time b.s....Pat Tilman anyone?