Who killed Chris Stevens?

Chris Stevens, the US ambassador to Libya, was killed on Sept 11, as you probably know; so were 3 other staffers.  The first thought was that it was a childish response to a low-budget anti-Islam film.  Now, authorities are looking at Al Qaeda as the suspect. 

Want to know what kind of person Allen West is?

Have you ever wondered what kind of people we have in office?  Some are d-bags, some are ok, others are great.  Read this posting I got about Allen West.  This is from someone who served with Col. West.

Holy Shiite, Batman! Iraq lets a terrorist free?

Ali Mussa Daqduq

From the AP.

An Iraqi court has rejected a request to send a terror commander to the United States for trial, a decision that apparently ends the Obama administration’s efforts to prosecute the Lebanese Hezbollah figure held in Iraq for the 2007 killings of five American soldiers.

The U.S. believes Ali Mussa Daqduq is a top threat to Americans in the Mideast, and had asked Baghdad to extradite him even before two Iraqi courts found him not guilty of masterminding the 2007 raid on an American military base in the holy Shiite city of Karbala.

But the July 30 decision by the Iraqi central criminal court, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, ordered that Daqduq be freed immediately. It also makes it clear that Iraq believes the legal case against Hezbollah commander is over.

“It is not possible to hand him over because the charges were dropped in the same case,” the three-judge panel ruled. “Therefore, the court decided to reject the request to hand over the Lebanese defendant Ali Mussa Daqduq to the U.S. judiciary authorities and to release him immediately.”

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad declined to comment Thursday and referred questions about the case to Washington.

So, again… why?  Why do we keep trying to deal with these people?  They’re devious, dishonest, and treacherous.  Each new administration thinks they have it figured out and their way will work.  Meanwhile, the Middle East looks at us and thinks, “hey, Haji, look.  Here comes another one we can screw with!”

You know our country is in trouble when…

Ok, we all know that we don’t want the government telling us what religion to follow.  We don’t want the federal government mixing religion with business.  So, why is Rep Andre Carson (D-Indiana) talking about making American schools into madrasas?

Defending Michael Behenna: American Hero

For those of you outside the state of Oklahoma, you may have not heard of 1st Lt Michael Behenna of the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division.  This is a story of injustice that needs to be told.  This story needs to be told over and over again until this patriot and hero is released and his honor restored.

In 2008, Lt Behenna was ordered to return an Al Qaeda operative to his home after interigation about suspected terrorist operation in the area.  Behenna was attacked by this piece of dirt and he ended up killing his prisoner in self defense.  This is nearly a month after Behenna’s buddies were attacked leaving 2 US soldiers dead and 2 more wounded.

In March of 2009, the US Army convicted Lt Behenna for the murder of Ali Mansur, the Al Qaeda operative that he had just questioned.  See the Defend Michael website for the entire story.  He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, which was later reduced to 15 years.

Below is a brief recap of Lt Behenna’s case.  I copied this directly from the Defend Michael website.

• September 2007: 1LT Michael Behenna deployed to Iraq for his first tour of combat.
• April 21, 2008, Al Qa’ida operatives attacked LT Behennaʼs platoon. The
• IED attack resulted in the death of two of LT Behennaʼs platoon members, two Iraqi citizens, and wounded two additional soldiers under LT Behennaʼs command.
• May 5, 2008: Based on information from US Army intelligence, LT Behenna’s platoon detained known terrorist Ali Mansur at his home for the attack on LT Behennaʼs platoon. Mansur had illegal weapons and a passport indicating trips to Syria.
• May 16, 2008: Without explanation, Army Intelligence ordered the release of Mansur.
• LT Behenna, who lost two members of his platoon just weeks earlier, was ordered to transport Mansur to his home.
• LT Behenna attempted a final field interview of Mansur prior to his release.
• During the interview, Mansur attacked LT Behenna, and LT Behenna reacted to defend himself by firing two shots which killed Mansur.
• July 2008: The U.S. Army charged LT Behenna with premeditated murder for the death of the Al Qa’ida operative and terrorist Ali Mansur
• February 23, 2009: 1Lt. Behennaʼs trial begins.
• Defense experts testify that Mansur was standing with his arm outstretched when shot.
• On the evening of February 25th, prosecution expert witness Dr. Herbert MacDonell told the prosecution attorneys the only logical explanation for what happened was that Mansur had to be standing, reaching for LT Behennaʼs gun when he was shot. This contradicted the prosecution’s theory that Mansur was executed while seated on a rock.
• On February 26th LT Behenna testified that while he was interrogating Mansur he turned his head towards his interpreter, and when he did, Mansur lunged for his gun. The LT fired a controlled pair of shots. This explanation was identical to what Dr. MacDonell told the prosecution team in a private meeting the night before.
• During a recess after 1LT Behennaʼs testimony, Dr. MacDonell met with the prosecution team and told them again that the LT’s testimony was exactly what he had demonstrated to Prosecutors the day before and that the LT must be telling the truth. The prosecutors sent Dr. MacDonell home to New York. Leaving the courtroom, Dr. MacDonell told defense counsel he would have made a great witness for LT Behenna.
• The defense counsel asked prosecutors if they have any exculpatory evidence about Dr. MacDonell, and the prosecutors denied possession of such evidence.
• In the prosecution’s closing arguments they argued LT Behennaʼs testimony that Mansur was reaching for his gun was “impossible” based upon the evidence (despite knowing that their own expert witness had told him it was the only logical explanation.)
• Later that Friday night a military panel of seven officers, none of whom had combat experience, convicted LT Behenna of unpremeditated murder and assault.
• After LT Behenna was convicted, but before sentencing, Dr. MacDonell sent an email to the prosecution team requesting that the information provided in his demonstration be turned over to the defense.
• A mistrial was requested by the LT’s defense counsel, but on March 20, the military judge denied both defense motions to declare a mistrial and to order a new trial.
• LT Behennaʼs attorneys are appealing the verdict based on the denial of a fair trial. An oral argument has been scheduled before the highest military court – The Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces – on 23 April 2012 in Washington D.C.
• LT Behenna is currently serving a 15-year sentence in Ft. Leavenworth (the original 25 year sentence was reduced five years by the commanding General of 101st Airborne and the Army Clemency Board reduced it another five years.) The earliest he would be eligible for parole is after serving a third of his sentence. Without parole or a new trial Lt. Behenna will get out of prison for the shooting an Al Qaeda terrorist in self-defense when he is 40 years old.

According to a source close to the case, Ali Mansur was deceptive throughout the entire interegation process.   Why the command would order the release of a known terrorist who is unwilling to cooperate is beyond me.

Now, I have a question.  Why is an American soldier being treated this way and the “rights” of a known terrorist who kills Americans being protected?  Even if this wasn’t a case of self-defense, this man probably saved countless American soldiers’ lives by committing what the command called murder.  However, according to his family and expert witness Dr. Herbert MacDonell (he was an expert witness for the prosecution) this would have been a self-defense killing.  How was the prosecution able to pull this off?  Why did they have such a hard on to convict an American hero?  Trying to make a name for themselves, maybe?  Any of us in the military or civil service know that politics play a big role in promotions.

Now, the same source that told me Ali Mansur was deceptive clued me in on a few things, as far as why the prosecution was so zealous in this case.  After the Haditha and Abu Ghraib scandals, the US government wanted to assure the Iraqi leadership they would prosecute any crimes committed by US service members.  This was an attempt to get the Iraqis to sign the Status of Force Agreement (SOFA), which they did in November 2008.

Now I do not personally know anyone involved in this case, but I have been following it for a couple of reason.  One, the accused is an Army Ranger, and two, it seems he comes from a great family from what I gather reading and listening to interviews.  This is a major miscarriage on the justice system.  While our politicians are going around touting their achievements and why we should vote for them, none of them have spoken publicly about this or any similar cases in which our service men and women are unjustly accused and convicted of crimes based largely, I think, on political correctness and selfish promotion.

A Mother’s Fight

Assistant United States Attorney Vicki Behenna is Lt Michael Behenna’s mother.  She is leading the fight to clear this hero’s name and restore his freedom.  This family is obviously a close one that cares deeply for each other.  This is the type of family that every American family should be.

Now, most of you know my political leanings.  I do not know this family’s political leanings, but as I say on my show is that I don’t care what someone’s politics is.  What I care about is their constitutional rights and to make sure they aren’t violated.

Well, it looks as if Lt Behenna’s rights were violated.  You see, he wasn’t given a proper trial before a jury of his peers.  He is waiting on a decision from a panel of military judges to decide if this trial was done incorrectly.  This doesn’t mean freedom yet for Michael, but it is a start in the right direction.

Prayers and Support for Lt Michael Behenna

Please join me in praying for justice for Lt Behenna and his family.  You see, injustice like this doesn’t just affect one person; even if it did, we need to fix it.  It affects us all.  If the government can do this to one man, think what they can do to any of us they don’t like for whatever reason.  There are countless people sitting in prison right now for defending themselves.  What do they expect us to do?  Let our assailants kill us so that they may be prosecuted?  Right.  Need to see more?  Look at John McNeil.  This man was convicted of murder for defending his son and home before Georgia’s Stand Your Ground law.  The point is, this isn’t the first case in which a good man has been wrongly convicted.  We, as American citizens, cannot let this go on.  Write your Congressional representatives and Senators, your governor, you local media.  Tell them about the about the injustice levied against an American hero.  Don’t let up.  Keep the heat on and lets give this man his freedom and give this family their son back.

The Leavenworth 10

Lt Behenna is part of a group known as the Leavenworth 10.  This is a group of soldiers and Marines convicted of following orders and defending our country from terrorists.  These are men that few of us will ever be able to hold a candle to.  Read about them here and here to read more about them.

For anyone to be treated as these men have been is a shame; a black mark, on our country.  Political correctness and overly restrictive rules of engagement are to blame here.  All too often, our soldiers and Marines get shafted because of some whiny politically correct sack of crap decides he doesn’t like is going or they have some political agenda.

Get involved people, lets help this story have a happy ending.  Comment or email me with suggestions on how we can help Lt Behenna and the other men in the Leavenworth 10.

To Write to Lt Behenna

Send books, money orders and your letters of support to:

Michael Behenna #87503

1300 N. Warehouse Road

Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2304

Why Are We Still in the UN

When I think of the UN, I think of a defunct and corrupt non-functioning organization that is a drain on American resources and a threat to American sovereignty.  I think of a body that has too much power over world policies and cultural practices, especially industrialized western countries.

Scandals, corruption, mismanagement, and denial of national sovereignty are just a few of the problems facing the UN.  They created the state of Israel in 1948 to give displaced Jews a home after WWII, but now they overtly conspire against them.  They allow bigots and racists to run international programs making aggressors into victims, allowing more crimes and armed conflict.  The UN says they want to protect and help people, but their actions suggest otherwise.

Recent UN Scandals

We’ve all heard about the UN’s oil-for-food scandal that was all over the news several years ago.  Basically, this started as a way for the UN to provide food, medicine, and other necessities to the people of Iraq.  Saddam Hussein was still the dictator and the people were suffering.  The UN would allow Iraq to sell a set amount of their oil.  The profits were to be used for food, medicine, and other basic needs for the population.  The problem was that too many people were interested in those profits.  Politically connected insiders got rich, including the Secretary-General’s son.  We will likely never know the truth of how deep and wide-spread the corruption went and those involved will likely never be punished.

What about the sexual abuse at the hands of UN Peacekeepers on UN missions in Bosnia, The Republic of Congo, Haiti, and Uruguay.  The people attacked were the very people the “Peacekeepers” were supposed to protect.  Now while the UN has trained their troops not to do these things, the organization refuses to investigate and pursue the accused.  This has been a problem for at least 16 of their peace keeping missions around the world.

Oh, and let’s not forget about the decades of financial mismanagement and fraud.

National Sovereignty

One thing the UN is not about is national sovereignty. If you doubt that, look at the UN’s Agenda 21.  You can also look into their plan to tax industrialized nations.  Another sign that shows where the UN stands on our sovereignty is the recent case in Texas.  Texas was about to execute a convicted murderer, Humberto Garcia Leal.  This man was an illegal immigrant from Mexico, as well.  The UN claims that since the man was a Mexican citizen, he should have had consular advice and privileges.  The funny part of that is that if the roles were reversed, and an American were accused of murder in another country, there would likely be no consular privileges.  The UN sets a double standard between the wealthier countries and the poorer ones.  The US puts more money into the UN than anyone else; they even have their headquarters in the US.  The UN rents the space and, according to several media outlets like Fox News and CNN, they are behind on their payments.

Why is the UN still Pretending to be Viable?

We all know they are not a viable any longer.  They went the way of the League of Nations long ago.  The UN has nothing to offer the United States any longer except for being the largest charity in the world.  While some of their missions may be well intended, the most of them seem to be politically motivated and rarely do what they intended in the beginning.  can you tell me the last UN program that actually benefited the intended party as it was supposed to?

The UN stonewalls auditors and investigators, refuses to release financial records, appoints corrupt people to positions of power, and putting nations in charge of programs and committees that they themselves violate.  For example, putting Iran on the council that oversees women’s rights in the world.

The UN is a paper tiger that can’t even give paper cuts.  In fact, they’re a wet paper tiger.  They have no teeth, but plenty of ways to screw the US and our allies out of money and resources.

What Should the US Do?

It’s simple.  Get the US out of the UN and get the UN out of the US.  We do not need them.  They definitely need us and they should be grateful that we are still involved.  Some people say that the US is kind of a guard keeping the UN decent, but they do not listen to us; they do not respect us.  What do we get for the millions upon millions of dollars we invest in the UN? We get a voice that is largely ignored.  The UN’s silence on their many failures is deafening.  It’s time to get out.  It’s time to tell the UN to leave US soil and we need to become more isolationist.  Not completely, but more that direction.  We need to become more self-reliant in our food production, energy, materials, and consumer products.  Buying American and using American energy and food will help our economy thrive and we won’t necessarily be so prone to economic fluctuation when the rest of the world has their highs and lows.  It could result in the US not being the richest in the world, but we likely wouldn’t have the inflationary, economic, and employment problems we’re facing now.