1953 Secret Pact to Ignore Crimes Committed by USA Military in Japan

BBC News Photo Oct. 2005

According to new research on old documents from post WWII Japan, there is a long history of agreement that USA Forces serving overseas should be exempt from being charged when breaking the law. Talk about slippery slopes... from there to Blackwater and exemptions for private contractors. And here we find ourselves.

Act only on major U.S. forces crimes, prosecutors told 1953 Justice Ministry ordered charges waived -Kyodo News

The Justice Ministry in 1953 ordered prosecutors nationwide to act only on major crimes committed by U.S. service personnel in Japan, according to multiple internal documents, including those of the ministry.

It is the first time Japan's detailed measures on the issue have come to light, although the existence of a 1953 Japan-U.S. secret pact regarding the exemption of U.S. service personnel from Japanese justice was already known.

The documents, compiled by the ministry's Criminal Affairs Bureau and the National Police Agency's Criminal Investigation Bureau from 1954 to 1972, were obtained by Shoji Niihara, a researcher on Japan-U.S. relations, and Kyodo News.

The article goes on to talk about the fact that the Japanese and USA governments decided to let a few high profile cases go through mostly to keep the public happy and avoid the public outcry, but they established very lenient rules of what was considered on and off base activity etc. I can only imagine the kind of secret agreements we are in with factions of governments in the Middle East and South East Asia now. I think it is a reasonable expectation that we should hold our military personnel to standards including not breaking the the local laws of the land. If they cannot do that, then frankly they should not leave base.

And certainly private contractors working for corporate interests in a war zone should NOT be exempt from criminal charges.

There's more...

More Lies; They Just Can't Help It

Illustration by Kaebel JK Hashitani, Op-ed Illustrations, a Look at the Process of Op-education

When your president and your next candidate for the job suck so badly and the truth is against you, fabrication, lies, smears and "Low Road Express" strategies are seemingly all you have left.

Back during the Mid East part of the trip I posted an email from a friend serving in Afghanastan about Barack's stop there and how much he impressed the sailors and soliders stationed there. (My friend is in the Navy) I know my friend gave a truthful account, he would never have done anything different. But that is not true with some.

Now that the Wingnut Worldview is crumbling around them-- it seems all they have left is more and more desperate and unbeliveable lies. But folks aren't buying. And please note in the story below that the blogosphere is a big reason that the lies don't stick anymore.

Officer: Part of anti-Obama e-mail was wrong By Matthew Cox and Rick Maze - Staff writers; Army Times

An Army officer’s negative e-mail account of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s visit with the troops in Afghanistan that set the blogosphere ablaze prompted Army officials to correct aspects of the e-mail and resulted in a statement from the message’s author that “some of the information that was put out in my e-mail was wrong.”

The e-mail, signed by Capt. Jeffrey S. Porter at Bagram Airbase, characterized Obama’s July 19 visit with soldiers there as contrary to the positive portrayals of the mainstream press.

“As the soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn’t say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the general,” the e-mail said.

Porter wrote that Obama then went straight to the base’s “Clamshell” or recreation facility to pose for “publicity pictures playing basketball” and “shunned the opportunity to talk to soldiers to thank them for their service. I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States.

I just don’t understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-in-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.”

Army Times sent an e-mail to Porter, a Utah Army National Guard member assigned to the 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion, asking if he could verify that he wrote the controversial e-mail and requesting an interview.

Porter’s reply declined the interview request, but said:

“I am writing this to ask that you delete my e-mail and not forward it, after checking my sources some of the information that was put out in my e-mail was wrong. This e-mail was meant only for my family. Please respect my wishes and delete the e-mail and if there are any blogs you have my e-mail portrayed on I would ask if you would take it down too.”

The Army refuted the accuracy of the account of the Obama visit.

“These comments are inappropriate and factually incorrect,” Bagram spokesman Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green told the New York Daily News. Obama didn’t play basketball at Bagram or visit the Clamshell, she said. “We were a bit delayed ... as he took time to shake hands, speak to troops and pose for photographs,” Nielson-Green said.

Opinion aside, Obama campaign officials cited factual errors in the e-mail. Porter said Obama had gone to play basketball; Obama aides said that during the trip he only played basketball in Kuwait, not during stops in Iraq or Afghanistan. An Obama campaign Web site, called “Fight the Smears,” labels it a “lie” that Obama refused to meet with the troops. It includes links to news stories and videos showing Obama interacting with crowds of service members as evidence.

Apparently this guy is in tons of hot water now. And he should be. It was stupid, disingenuous campaign crap. He knew it would be forwarded that is why he wrote it. And he was hoping he could help smear Barack. Not.so.much.

There's more...

On Site in Kabul, A Friend's Impressions Of Waiting to See Barack

My friend, who is serving in Afghanastan wrote me last night about his impressions of waiting to see Barack. Can't say his name as you really can't be out politically while serving active duty but he said I could post his view to share with all of you.

Just got to see Sen Obama on his way from the US embassy in Kabul. You should have seen the security coverage, several Blackhawks circling as his chinook came in and following his motorcade out. Though seeing him (from a distance) out here is thrill, even more exciting was the crowd of service members from many nations who waited for a momentary glimpse.

Of course, out here (almost) any excitement is welcomed in the stretches of boredom that accompany duty in Afghanistan, but as we waited for something to happen for over an hour the discussion of everyone's feeling and thoughts for the election and Afghanistan's future revealed just how much people out here are pinning their hopes on the US to make a good call this November and for the next president to get things done to recover from recent setbacks.

These are the guys and gals who have been on multiple combat tours, some here, many in Iraq, and sound bites about "Cutting and Running" or "Bring It On" don't go far. They want intelligent discussion and results.

I hope American voters are smart enough to demand the same for the next few months, and the next four years.

As everyone focuses on each little shift in campaign strategy, each media story of the day, I hope they remember that momentary disappointments or elation need to be kept in the context of the folks dying out here. Lost another Coalition soldier yesterday afternoon, and it has been a rough week for civilian casualties in the crossfire with a resurgent Taliban.

Very glad Sen Obama knows this is where he should be, if only for a day or two.

As one British Sergeant exclaimed, "I just got a photo of the next
President of the United States!" I do hope he is
right. -- Kabul, Afghanistan

I was happy to get a second email from my friend this morning. He did get to meet Barack in person and sent me a picture. He was smiling from ear to ear.

There's more...

Media Matters Finds Thousands of Pentagon Pundits

4,500+

Appearances/Quotations by Military Analysts Identified in New York Times Exposé on Pentagon Program... --Media Matters

A New York Times article detailed the connection between numerous media military analysts and the Pentagon and defense industries, reporting that "the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform" media military analysts "into a kind of media Trojan horse -- an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks." A Media Matters review found that since January 1, 2002, the analysts named in the Times article -- many identified as having ties to the defense industry -- collectively appeared or were quoted as experts more than 4,500 times on ABC, ABC News Now, CBS, CBS Radio Network, NBC, CNN, CNN Headline News, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, and NPR.

Holy F*cking Christmas... are you shitting me?

There's more...

Mercenaries to Train Iraqi Local Forces

U.S. Seeks Contractors To Train Iraqi Military- the Washington Post.

"There is a lot of pressure on the active Army, and during this transition period where the military is converting to noncombat roles, a shift to contractors as trainers for the expanding Iraqi military is a natural step." He added, however, that the outcome "depends on the quality of those the contractors recruit."- Anthony H. Cordesman, a former Pentagon official

The quality of the contractors? yeah, right. This is just great. I wonder how well this will be received by the local civilians, and insurgents? I am sure there will be dancing in the streets...(not)

Does anyone else see this as the next step in the KBR/Blackwater/Halliburton plan to become the GOP's standing army?

There's more...

Happy 4,000 KIA in Iraq Day!

4,000

The phenomenal success in Iraq has caused only 4,000 U.S. KIA...

Congratulations to everyone involved! Here is to a thousand more, before we end this stupid fucking war, that we are fighting so we can fight them over there instead of over here, because Saddam was a bad guy, and so the Iraqi's can stand up while we stand down, while we are bringing peace to the middle east, fighting the islam-o-nazi's and Al Qaeda and the dirty Iranian sneaks. I only hope we can finally put to rest the fantasy that nation building doesn't work, I mean, it's truly phenomenal! Sure there was a mass of bombings yesterday, but consider them celebratory explosions of joy!

There's more...

Rightwing Pajamas Media Clueless about Military

The rightwing media has been all over Obama for a story he told.

You know, I've heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon -- supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon," he said. "Ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq. And as a consequence, they didn't have enough ammunition, they didn't have enough humvees. They were actually capturing Taliban weapons, because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief.

Jake Tapper cut to the chase and actually called the unit in question, and of course found out, that's exactly what is happening. It's not surprising that this collection of oxygen thieves don't know a platoon from a poltroon. These are the same chuckleheads who beat up a gold star father at their Gathering of Kleagles event in D.C..

A platoon is almost never up to strength in a combat unit and in some units they are over strengthened. When I was in the 82nd Airborne, we had a platoon with 56 guys in it. We also had a platoon with 8 guys. Any grunt knows this. It's laughable that none of these chickenhawk mama's boys have ANY IDEA about what is basic knowledge in the military. Basic, as in being able to breath. There are military wives who understand this shit better. What a joke. That a rifle platoon is short men these days is equivalent to saying "my recruiter lied to me". Not that any of these lowlife cowards ever saw a recruiter let alone allowed one to lie to them...

If any of these fucks gave a damn about "the troops"© the might have been involved with Adopt a Platoon as I have over the past couple of years. Every unit I have supported by sending things too has been light. Every single one. Oh, and here is a clue for these jacked-asses. One of the units I supported was from the 10th Mtn out of Fort Drum. Some of the platoon I was supporting in Afghanistan was not present with the unit deployed there. BECAUSE THE OTHER HALF OF THE PLATOON WERE DEPLOYED TO IRAQ. This was early last year. So this has been going on for some time.

What a bunch of fools.

This continues sounding like pure bullshit, no matter what the guy says or how credible Tapper claims to find him. Milbloggers say the platoon is the basic organic unit of the army, and troops are never picked out of a platoon to serve elsewhere -- if more troops are needed elsewhere, a whole platoon goes, not just Ronny, Bobby, Ricky and Mike.

I'm not in the military -- Ace, from "Ace of Spades HQ"*

If these guys were not so blinded by their partisan hatred of Democrats, they would realize that, of course these units are being deployed undermanned. The military is stretched DANGEROUSLY THIN. But, I guess those thoughts might led them to the understanding that the Army needs recruits. Not for nothing, who the hell are "Ronny, Bobby, Ricky, and Mike"? Sounds like a bunch of frat boys. Do you mean, Garcia, Johnson, Slopek, Fernandez and Sgt. Green? Geez, these guys really don't have any clue whatsoever. "Ricky", and how about Sandy and Mary!

Next month at my VFW meeting, after the meeting itself, me and the other guys, over a couple of beers are going to laugh long and hard at these morons. Long and hard. "But Sarge! I can't go with 2nd Platoon, a Platoon is a organic unit!"

UPDATE:

Great! Now these dumbasses are going to get this Captain in a shitload of trouble. Because the idiots at redstate are raising a stink about this, in spite of their lack of knowledge about the military, they are causing the Pentagon brass to come down on this officer.

As a former Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the timing of the situation you describe quite likely occurred during the period of my Chairmanship.

There are specific military regulations governing the use by U.S. forces of weapons other than of U.S. manufacture, and, likewise, regulations covering the deployment into combat zones of military units at manning levels below an optimum level.

...snip...

What I need from you are the essential facts of when- the dates- the unit was deployed, to which brigade combat team, or other unit it was assigned, the name and current location of the captain, or other military personnel who shared the alleged facts with you, so that committee staff can debrief them.

Here is what the numbskulls at Redstate are saying:

He is so mind-blowingly ignorant of the military and its status in the GWOT that he either heard this story and believed it, or thought that nobody less mind-numbingly vacuous and stupid than him would see through it.

Holy Christmas, It's you morons who are mind-blowingly ignorant. Now that you have been pantsed about the platoon issue you are trying to make this about using enemy weapons. I have used a AK-47, it's a pretty good weapon. If I was short on 556 ammo you are damn straight I would pick up a AK. There is plenty of ammo, just pick it off a dead badguy. What in holy hell is so hard to believe? Are you so blinded by your Democrat Derangement Syndrome that you don't care if you ruin this young captain's career? You sorry bastards...

There's more...

Turkey Shoot in Northern Iraq

Turkish ground forces have rolled across the border into northern Iraq to target Kurdish rebels said to be sheltering there.
Thousands of soldiers are thought to be involved in the operation which, the army says, began on Thursday evening after an air and artillery bombardment.

Turkey promised its force would "return home in the shortest time possible after its goals have been achieved".

The US military says it believes the operation is of limited duration. -- bbc.co.uk

The Russkies used to do this sort of thing. Probe for steel. The U.S. response here is unclear as of yet. They may have given a "we're not concerned" quote to the news agencies but lets wait and see if they push back hard. If they don't, expect a lot more 'excursions' by the Turks. This is all an indication of the strain on our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. They can't handle more complications over there.

There's more...