The “Dream Team” that is. Its time to get a legal defense fund set up for the Marines.
Watching the uproar over the “Hadji Girl” video and the resultant failure of the Marine Corps to defend its own guys has me really wondering what will happen when the results of the Haditha investigation are completed. Seems more and more to me, like there is a need to assemble a crack defense team to defend these guys against the steamroller that is going to come their way.
Lets look at the whole Hadji Girl thing in its proper context. First, the video makes it pretty apparent that it was done in the context of a gathering of Marines and only Marines. Now mind you , I have nothing to base that on but the appearance of the video. Second, the lyrics of the song make it very apparent that they are a put up of the fact that the insurgents result to despicable tactics like using children and others to lure Marines and Soldiers into traps. No where do I see anything like the idea that the singer is seriously endorsing the ideas put forth in the song. So it seems to me, that if anybody needs to apologize, its the moron who brought the camera, and the nitwit who got the idea to post this on the net. Any aviator who has ever been to a focsle follies knows exactly what I am talking about. The first rule of thumb is ALWAYS leave your cameras in the stateroom. Like I need more pictures of me mooning the CV-43 air boss. ( True story by the way……….).
Now for some truth in advertising and what this particular controversy has to do with Haditha. I do not, and will not, believe that a bunch of Marines went nuts there and just wantonly shot anything in their path. I firmly believe that the Marines in question felt theatened, felt that someone was threatening them, and , rightly or wrongly, felt they were acting in self defense. Until the investigation proves otherwise, I’m willing to give these guys the benefit of the doubt. Why the later reports came out the way they did is troubling, but I’m just not prepared to accept the idea that the Marines did anything, but respond to what they felt was a threatening situation.
So watching the Marine Corps cave into the Muslim- American Bund, makes me shake my head in disbelief and start thinking about organizing a charity to get these guys the best legal defense team possible. Given the way some of the recent court martials have gone, they will need as much legal muscle as they can get.
I mean think about it. The prosecution has to prove that the Marines acted without provocation and exceeded their authorized rules of engagement beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense only has to prove that there was a reasonable doubt about the idea of acting in anything, but self defense. From the stories I’ve seen so far the prosecution has its work cut out for it.
BUT, that is where I part ways with those who say that the military justice system is somehow better than the civil justice system. Maybe, but the defendants in the military justice system usually don’t have an abundant amount of resources to spend on attorneys and like military doctors ( which I have had far too much of an unpleasant experience with), no matter how many professional walls and safeguards are built in, the military lawyers are still dependent on the military for their livelihood. Having some smart guys like Charles Gittins , to keep the dealers honest is for the best interests of both sides. Trouble is, he’s a busy man these days dealing with stupid trials that tie up his time for no good reason. It’s not like the Marines have ever tried to railroad anyone before…(SIC)……
So I’m ready to give money to the defense fund. Getting these guys acquitted might be one of the best signals that could be sent both to Iraq, and to the boneheads at home that: A) we are putting our troops in a tough spot repeatedly, refusing to resource their efforts properly and despite that, they are doing the best they humanly can, B) that maybe the Iraqi’s need to realize that they need to throw more and more of the insurgents to the wolves , get off their ass and fix their hell hole of a country, and c) that this is a war, and wars are fought by people and bad things happen. Perhaps its time for humans to find a saner way to run the planet. The issue with Haditha is not that happened, but that it happens so very rarely.
Bottom line? O.J. got a good defense. These Marines deserve that or better……………
If it does not fit, you must acquit!
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