
 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
June 23, 2008
/ 20 Sivan 5768
Time mag and Murtha aren't the only miscreants in Haditha saga
By
Jack Kelly
| >
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
A lie can get half way around the world before the truth can lace up its combat
boots. This is especially true when the lie is propagated by a major news magazine
and a senior member of Congress.
On March 19, 2006, Time Magazine published an article in effect accusing a squad of
Marines of having murdered civilians in Haditha, Iraq, and their superiors of
covering it up.
"It's much worse than reported in Time Magazine," said Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa, at a
press conference May 17, 2006. "There was no fire fight. There was no IED that
killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on
them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."
Rep. Murtha, a former Marine, told the Philadelphia Inquirer he got his information
from the Commandant of the Marine Corps. But the briefing Gen. Michael Hagee gave
Rep. Murtha took place on May 24, a week after Mr. Murtha had accused the Marines of
murder.
On December 21, 2006, four enlisted Marines were charged with multiple counts of
murder. Later, four officers in their chain of command were charged with having
covered up the murders. The news coverage of the indictments was enormous.
On Tuesday, a military judge dismissed without prejudice charges against LtCol.
Jeffrey Chessani. He was the seventh of the eight Marines either to have the
charges against him dismissed, or be found not guilty. The only Marine still facing
court martial is Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, and the charges against him have
been downgraded from murder to manslaughter. News coverage of the acquittals has
been sparse, relegated to the "news briefs" section in most newspapers.
The Time Magazine story was based chiefly on the testimony of three Iraqis, all of
whom had ties to the insurgency. Mr. McGirk may himself have sympathized with the
insurgents. He spent the first Thanksgiving after 9/11 with members of the Taliban
in Afghanistan. This is what he wrote about it in Time:
"Our missing colleagues finally arrive, and I leave thinking this evening wasn't
very different from the first Thanksgiving; people from two warring cultures sharing
a meal together and realizing, briefly, that we're not so different after all."
Testimony at the various courts martial indicated at least eight of the 24 alleged
victims were armed terrorists, and the physical evidence at the scene contradicted
the accounts of Mr. McGirk's witnesses.
Writing in StrategyPage a year ago May, Harold Hutchison compared Haditha to claims
made by the Palestinian Authority that Israeli soldiers had massacred civilians in
the village of Jenin in Gaza in April, 2002. The accusations received much more
attention from the news media than the subsequent reports of UN investigators that
the accusations were false.
"If the testimony about Haditha bears out, then it will just be the latest example
of media misreporting," Mr. Hutchison wrote. "At that point, though, the real cover
up will begin. Very little, if any effort will be made to correct the record.
Politicians like John Murtha, who repeated the most inflammatory charges, will get a
pass."
What Mr. Hutchison predicted has come to pass. Time Magazine and Rep. Murtha owe
these Marines an apology, but it is unlikely to be forthcoming. Only people with
integrity apologize when they've done harm to innocents.
But Time and Jack Murtha aren't the only miscreants in this sorry saga. The Marines
were charged despite a report, issued the month before Mr. Murtha accused them of
murder, which concluded "there is no evidence that the Marines intentionally set out
to target, engage and kill non-combatants."
When they were first arrested, the enlisted Marines were treated far worse than
terrorists at Guantanamo Bay. The Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS)
ignored exculpatory evidence. One prosecution witness changed his story five times.
Another failed a polygraph test. That witness, a native of Venezuela, may have
been threatened with deportation if he didn't testify against his comrades. The
charges against LtCol. Chessani were dismissed because of unlawful command
influence.
When I was a Marine, I was comforted by the thought that I'd never be left behind,
even if I were dead. But it appears that some senior people in the Corps and NCIS
tried to railroad the Haditha Eight to appease Rep. Murtha's false, politically
motivated charges. It is they not the Haditha Marines who should be hanging
their heads in shame.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Jack Kelly, a former Marine and Green Beret, was a
deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force in the Reagan
administration. Comment by clicking here.
Jack Kelly Archives
© 2008, Jack Kelly
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Tony Blankley
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

Mr. Know-It-All
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|