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Militarization of Local Law Enforcement Circumventing Posse Comitatus Act

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Photo Credit: WNDA key distinction between the U.S. and other nations, even relatively free nations, long has been American restrictions on domestic use of the military, for police actions, law enforcement and keeping things under control.

However, when the local police officer or sheriff’s deputy is equipped with night vision goggles, laser-scope rifles, electronic eavesdropping equipment and body armor and comes up a citizen’s driveway in a military-type personnel carrier with shielded windows and oversize wheels, the prohibitions seem to lose some of their teeth…

Since 1878, with the passage of the Posse Comitatus Act, it has long been an established legal principle that the federal government is not allowed to use the military to enforce federal or state laws.

In recent years, the law has been modified to allow the president to deploy federal troops to enforce the law. Two of the most notable cases are President Dwight Eisenhower’s decision to send federal troops into Little Rock, Ark., to enforce desegregation and the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

However, while American armed forces may be limited in their ability to enforce the law, the act is essentially being circumvented by militarizing local enforcement, equipping it with some of the same equipment, training and tactics used in war zones.

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Sex Crimes in the Military: A Response to Senator McCaskill and her Conservative Supporters

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Photo Credit: DVIDSHUBThe military is a specialized community. Commanders have unique control over their soldiers’ lives and for good reason—they are responsible for the health, welfare, and combat readiness of their units. A commander’s raison d’être is good order and discipline within his or her unit, whether on a ship, in a combat zone, or in garrison; and a commanders’ purview extends to preferring charges to initiate the courts-martial process when a soldier has been accused of a crime. However, a move is afoot led by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to remove commanders from that role in the military justice system when allegations of sexual assault and rape exist.

Senator Gillibrand is widely quoted as saying, “Commanders aren’t objective. Commanders may have different training, different perspectives. They may or may not want women in the armed forces. They may not understand what sexual assault is, or what constitutes rape. They may not agree, what is a rape or not a rape.” Similarly, Senator McCaskill claims that removing commanders from the process will result in “more and better prosecutions.”

Senators Gillibrand and McCaskill’s position not only casts doubt on the judgment of the very officers to whom we entrust the lives of our young soldiers in the most stressful and life-threatening of situations, but it also betrays a fundamentally poor understanding of the military justice system. In general terms, when there is an alleged sexual assault in the military, it is investigated by Criminal Investigations Division (CID) or an independent investigating officer or both.

A Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer then looks at that independent investigation to ensure that it is thorough and sufficient. Based on the investigation, a JAG officer, again independent, advises the commander regarding whether to bring forward the charges or not. Well over 95% of the time, the commander follows the JAG officer’s recommendation. In recent years, the Army has added Special Victim Prosecutors (SVPs) into the mix. SVPs are JAG officers who specialize in prosecuting sexual assaults, and as part of their education must go through an internship with civilian SVPs in a major metropolitan district attorney’s office.

Critics like Senators Gillibrand and McCaskill, who often cite a “low” conviction rate as evidence that the system does not work and that the military is not taking sexual assault seriously, have turned reality on its head. Military SVP’s will tell you that “low” conviction rates are a direct consequence of taking the very hardest cases to trial, cases that their civilian counterparts would never touch. Most are classic “he-said, she-said” cases that involve intoxication by both parties and actions and words by the accuser that strongly indicate consent. This sort of evidence rarely will produce a conviction. Indisputably, the military, like the U.S. culture as a whole, has room to improve in creating an environment free from sexual harassment and assault. However, diluting a commander’s authority within his or her unit is not the solution for this issue and will compromise what a commander does best—command.

Military Experts Warn US Losing Iraq as Violence Escalates

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Photo Credit: APAs violence and political turmoil tear through a war-wrecked Iraq, military experts are warning Congress that Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist cells are regrouping and working together not only in Iraq but in the entire region to undo a decade of U.S.-led progress.

“We left (Iraq) on the edge of being stable,” Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, a former military intelligence officer, told Fox News.

While saying it’s clear the job was “not done,” he warned: “Al Qaeda as an entity is coming back strong within the region and is doing things to destabilize governments, which, at this point in time, are still friendly to us.”

On Thursday, Iraq’s parliament speaker painted a grim picture of a crumbling country that is taking another beating by terrorists.

“The situation is grave,” Osama al-Nujaifi said during a press conference.

Read more from this story HERE.

Chaplain Ordered to Remove Religious Essay From Military Website

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Photo Credit: FacebookA chaplain at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska was ordered to remove a religious column he had written titled, “No Atheists in Foxholes: Chaplains Gave all in World War II,” because it allegedly offended atheists serving on the Air Force base.

Col. Brian Duffy, the base commander told Fox News the column was removed “out of respect for those who considered its title offensive.”

“The 673d Air Base Wing does not advocate any particular religion or belief set over another and upon learning of the complaints from some readers, the article was promptly removed,” he said. “We regret any undue attention this article may have brought to any particular group or individuals.”

Lt. Col. Kenneth Reyes confirmed to Fox News that he wrote the original essay that appeared in his “Chaplain’s Corner” column on the base website.

Reyes recounted the origin of the phrase “There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.” Father William Cummings has largely been credited with uttering the phrase in Bataan during World War II.

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Lindsey Graham Says He Plans To Introduce An Authorization For The Use Of Military Force In Iran By Summers End

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Photo Credit: donkeyhotey Just days after saying the same thing in an interview at the Capital last Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham R-SC) again said in front of a friendly audience at a conference put on by the Christians United for Israel that he [will] introduce a resolution to authorize war with Iran.

“If nothing changes in Iran, come September, October, I will present a resolution that will authorize the use of military force to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb,” Graham told the conference audience.

“The only way to convince Iran to halt their nuclear program is to make it clear that we will take it out,” he continues.

The National Iranian American Council came out today condemning Graham’s call to war.

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US Shipment of F-16s to Post-Morsi Egypt Hits Delay

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Photo Credit: U.S. AIR FORCE / VAL GEMPISFour F-16 fighter jets were scheduled to fly to Egypt on Tuesday morning as part of a U.S. military aid package worth more than $1 billion a year — but the shipment has run into delays over apparent “political” issues.

If the Obama administration is able to send the planes, it will mark the first known military aid to Egypt since millions of Egyptians protested the rule of Mohammed Morsi, leading the Egyptian military to remove him from power earlier this month.

Supporters say that such aid is critical because it gives the U.S. influence over the Egyptian military. But critics say it is a waste of money, or worse — a gift of weapons that could later be turned against American interests.

The shipment has now been delayed at least 24 hours due to “political reasons,” according to a source who works on the naval air base in Fort Worth, Texas, from where the planes were being sent.

Officials at the U.S. Department of State, asked by FoxNews.com about the unexpected delay, explained that “we are reviewing our obligations and are consulting with Congress about the way forward.”

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Botched Anti-IED System May be Linked to US Soldier Deaths in Afghanistan, Report Finds

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Photo Credit: SPECIAL IG FOR AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTIONA program designed to protect U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan by covering roadside drains with thick metal to prevent insurgents from planting bombs was plagued by shoddy and incomplete workmanship — and may have actually contributed to the deaths of American Marines, according to an internal report.

Millions of U.S. dollars have been spent on thousands of so-called “culvert denial systems” since 2009, but a scathing report released Tuesday by the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction says hundreds of the devices were never installed or installed improperly. The report said an investigation has been launched “into whether this apparent failure to perform may have been a factor in the death or injury of several U.S. soldiers.”

The investigation has led to two arrests so far — an Afghan contractor and a sub-contractor. The men, who were paid $1 million by the U.S. government to install 250 culvert denial systems, didn’t install the devices as promised. The ones they did install were installed incorrectly, according to the report.

“The loss of life because individuals were not doing their job is horrific and unacceptable,” Special Inspector General John Sopko told FoxNews.com in a written statement. “This case shows so clearly that fraud can kill in Afghanistan. We will find out if contracting officers did not do their job and if that proves to be true and Americans have died, we will hold those individuals accountable.”

Both men have been charged with fraud and negligent homicide.

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Gays In, Bibles Out In the New American Military

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Photo Credit: Björn SöderqvistPresident Obama’s Defense Department is waging a private war. While our Pentagon is entrusted with the duty to “protect and serve,” a secular zone is growing within the ranks of the Military.

A little over a year ago then Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the Military would honor through “Gay Pride Month” the contributions of homosexual service members. This announcement came just a few months after the Department of Defense had begun its subtle campaign against the Bible.

1) The Air Force Services Agency through its spokesman Michael Dickerson stated the Air Force has “no requirement to have Bibles in the lodging checklist.” [1a] In other words, as a military member checks into housing (much like a civilian would into a hotel or dormitory) there is no availability of a Bible to be by his or her bedside. In defense of this Air Force Chaplain (COL) Ron Crews, Retired, has stated, “while there is no requirement to have them, why should there be a requirement to remove them?” [1b] By the way, these Bibles are free to the Military, paid for by donating Christian churches and foundations.

2) The Department of Defense announced it would be removing military edition Bibles from its base exchange stores. These military editions published by Holman Bible Publishers are “prominently emblazoned with exact replicas of the trademarked emblems of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.” Known as the “Soldier’s Bible, or Sailor’s Bible and so forth,” these Bibles have been published since 2003. The Bibles “include a cover designed for the particular branch, as well as patriotic essays, prayers and hymn lyrics,” according to Holman’s website. “Holman also produces Bibles for police, firefighters, sportsmen and students, each tailored to its particular audience.” [2a]

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General: US Military Intervention in Syria Would Create ‘Unintended Consequences’

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Photo Credit: J Scott ApplewhiteThe top US military officer warned senators on Monday that taking military action to stop the bloodshed in Syria was likely to escalate quickly and result in “unintended consequences”, representing the most explicit uniformed opposition to deeper involvement in another war in the Middle East.

Alluding to the costly, bloody occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said that once the US got involved militarily in the Syrian civil war, which the UN estimates to have killed about 93,000 people, “deeper involvement is hard to avoid”.

“We have learned from the past 10 years, however, that it is not enough to simply alter the balance of military power without careful consideration of what is necessary in order to preserve a functioning state,” Dempsey wrote to senators John McCain and Carl Levin on Monday. “We must anticipate and be prepared for the unintended consequences of our action.”

Dempsey’s letter came after McCain announced he would block the general’s reappointment to chair the joint chiefs of staff, the most senior position in the US military, until Dempsey provided the Senate with his assessment of the merits of US military action in Syria.

McCain is the leading congressional advocate of using direct US military force to tip the balance of power against Assad, an Iranian ally. Dempsey’s public comments about Syria over two years have been skeptical of the wisdom of greater US military involvement.

Read more from this story HERE.

Defense Secretary Hagel to DoD: Furloughs to Last Through At Least Next Year, Will Likely Get Worse

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Photo Credit: APThe audience gasped in surprise and gave a few low whistles as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delivered the news that furloughs, which have forced a 20 percent pay cut on most of the military’s civilian workforce, probably will continue next year, and it might get worse.

“Those are the facts of life,” Hagel told about 300 Defense Department employees, most of them middle-aged civilians, last week at an Air Force reception hall on a military base in Charleston.

Future layoffs also are possible for the department’s civilian workforce of more than 800,000 employees, Hagel said, if Congress fails to stem the cuts in the next budget year, which starts Oct. 1.

On the heels of the department’s first furlough day, and in three days of visits with members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, Hagel played the unenviable role of messenger to a frustrated and fearful workforce coping with the inevitability of a spending squeeze at the end of more than a decade of constant and costly war.

The fiscal crunch also lays bare the politically unpopular, if perhaps necessary, need to bring runaway military costs in line with most of the rest of the American public that has struggled economically for years.

Read more from this story HERE.