Bill Cosby Released After PA Supreme Court Overturns His Sexual Assault Conviction

 

Daily Mail: Bill Cosby, 83, returns to his Pennsylvania mansion after PA Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction and freed him from prison two years into 10-year sentence because prosecutor promised in 2005 that he wouldn't be charged 

* Cosby was released from SCI Phoenix in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, two years into his 10 year sentence 

* He was convicted in 2018 of sexually assaulting and drugging Andrea Constand at his Pennsylvania estate 

* Dozens of other women accused him of sexual assault but none have had their claims prosecuted because they fell outside the statute of limitations 

* Cosby appealed his conviction on two counts; he said in 2005, the then Montgomery County DA Bruce Castor made a 'deal' with him not to prosecute 

* The deal wasn't written down anywhere - it comes from Castor announcing that he wasn't going to bring charges after Constand reported her claims 

* Cosby also said it wasn't fair that the jury heard from 5 other women at his trial who said he'd assaulted them 

* Those women all claimed he'd attacked them in the 1980s after giving them drugs 

* The PA Supreme Court didn't rule on whether or not their testimony was fair and only focused on Castor 

* They ruled that by making his promise, Castor led Cosby to deliberately believe he wouldn't be charged 

 * As a result, Cosby made remarks in a 2005 deposition that were self-incriminating, and he was later charged 

Bill Cosby flashed a peace sign to news crews on Wednesday as he arrived home after being released from prison in Pennsylvania, hours after the state's Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction because a former prosecutor promised him that he wouldn't be charged in 2005 and lulled him into incriminating himself - a decision that has 'shocked and disgusted' the disgraced comedian's accusers. 

Cosby was jailed in 2018 for sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, who had reported her claims to the police in 2005. 

The murky legal explanation for why Cosby was released hinges on a statement made in 2005 by former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor, who decided not to charge Cosby because he thought there wasn't enough corroborating evidence to back up Constand's claims.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Bill Cosby freed from prison, his sex conviction overturned (AP)  

Update #2: Bill Cosby released from prison after Pa. Supreme Court overturns sexual assault conviction (Philadelphia Inquirer)  

WNU Editor: I know this post has nothing to do with defense/military/wars/and national security. But I have always been fascinated with American law and culture, and this is an incredible case. It is not over yet. And yes, there are going to be a lot of angry people with the release of Bill Cosby.

After Being Cleared Of Murder Charges, US Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher Sentenced To Reduced Rank, Partial Pay

FOX News: Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher sentenced to reduced rank, partial pay, after being cleared of murder charges

Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher will have his rank reduced and is sentenced to four months of confinement, which he has already served, for posing with the body of a dead Islamic State fighter, the San Diego jury decided Wednesday.

Gallagher's attorney confirmed to Fox News that he will retire from the U.S. Navy when he becomes eligible in about three weeks as he hits his 20 years of service.

The SEAL was found not guilty Tuesday on six of the most serious counts he was facing, including premeditated murder, willfully discharging a firearm to endanger human life, retaliation against members of his platoon for reporting his alleged actions, obstruction of justice and the attempted murders of two noncombatants.

Read more ....

Update #1: Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher sentenced to reduction in rank and partial pay (CNN)
Update #2: Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher busted down one rank after being found guilty of posing for photo with ISIS fighter's body (Business Insider/Task & Purpose)

WNU Editor: As to his future .... US Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher will be retiring from the U.S. Navy when he becomes eligible in about three weeks as he hits his 20 years of service.

President Trump's Former Personal Lawyer Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges. Former Trump Campaign Chairman Found Guilty Of Federal Charges

CNBC: Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen pleads guilty, admits to making illegal payments at direction of candidate to influence election

* Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer and fixer for President Donald Trump, has struck a plea deal with federal prosecutors, NBC News reported on Tuesday.
* Cohen came under investigation by federal prosecutors in New York City earlier this year. They had received a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
* Prosecutors had been eyeing Cohen's business dealings. The New York Times reported that federal authorities were looking into $20 million in loans for taxi businesses linked to Cohen.

Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer and fixer for President Donald Trump, agreed to plead guilty on Tuesday to eight counts related to tax fraud, excessive campaign contributions, making false statements to a financial institution, and unlawful corporate contributions at a court hearing in New York on Tuesday.

Two of those counts appear to relate to Trump directly. Cohen admitted on Tuesday to making payments to two women at the direction of an unidentified candidate for political office. Those payments, Cohen said, were made to influence the outcome of the election.

Read more ....

NBC: Manafort convicted on 8 counts; mistrial declared on 10 other charges

The trial was the first public test of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation in possible Russian meddling and obstruction of justice by Trump.

A federal jury in Virginia convicted Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, on eight counts on Tuesday, but the judge declared a mistrial on the 10 other charges he faced.

Manafort was convicted on five counts of tax fraud, one count of failing to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts and two counts of bank fraud. A mistrial was declared in three counts of failing to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts, and seven counts of bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy.

The trial was the first public test of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, and while the special counsel was vindicated, the victory wasn't total.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Paul Manafort conviction is a surprise. Many expected him to be convicted on all counts. As for Michael Cohen, his business past caught up to him, and he made the decision that if he went to trial it would be worse for him. Hence a plea deal. But the big question is .... how will this impact President Trump? Legally .... this is a headache. Politically .... not much ... public opinions are not going to be changed. People who hate him will continue to hate him. Those who support him will see this as two separate legal cases that do not involve the President, and will not be concerned, even with Michael Cohen's claim that he paid 2 women hush money (on the direction of then candidate Trump) to keep quiet .... which they did not. WNU will be posting a complete round-up on both trials first thing tomorrow morning.

President Trump's Justice Department Signaling A Tougher Stand Against Law Breakers

Activists leave the site of a limousine which was set ablaze during a protest against Trump. Someone wrote on the side of the burning limo: 'We the People'

Daily Mail: Majority of 230 protesters arrested on Inauguration Day will face 10 years in prison and $25k fine as US attorney says they will be charged with felony rioting

* 230 people have been arrested and six police officers injured in the D.C.protests against President Trump
* Many any of those arrested will reportedly face up to a 10 year prison sentence and $25,000 fine
* A violent rampage started two blocks from the White House in McPherson Square and along K Street
* A limo was set on fire after destructive demonstrators threw a flare into its shattered windows
* Police with shields lined up and blocked the parade route as riots broke out around the city
* Officials have used tear gas, pepper spray and flash bang grenades on the mob
* Windows have been smashed at Starbucks, McDonald's and Bank of America buildings
* Broadcaster Larry King said the windows of his SUV were smashed by protesters while he was in studios

Most of the 230 rioters arrested after violent protests erupted in Washington D.C. following Donald Trump's inauguration will be charged with felony rioting, federal prosecutors said on Saturday.

The charge carries a punishment of up to ten years in jail and a $25,000 fine.

Thousand of protesters launched a violent rampage just blocks away from the White House as anti-Trump demonstrators smashed store windows, set fire to cars and threw bricks at police.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Another sign that business as usual is no more. This is no longer President Obama's Justice Department .... and I would not be surprised if the message was sent out by the incoming White House to prosecute these rioters to the full extent of the law. And while I have to wonder if a DC jury will convict these rioters .... the prospect of spending a few years in jail, heavy fines .... and even heavier legal bills .... should be more than enough to dissuade all but the committed.

The Pentagon Wants This Entire Afghan Child Sex-Abuse-Slavery Story To Go Away

Maj. Jason C. Brezler, right, is shown as a captain serving with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines in Afghanistan. (Marine Corps photo)

Washington Post: Navy analysis found that a Marine’s case would draw attention to Afghan ‘sex slaves’

Last fall, the Navy Department had a controversial disciplinary case before it: Maj. Jason C. Brezler had been asked by Marine colleagues to submit all the information he had about an influential Afghan police chief suspected of abusing children. Brezler sent a classified document in response over an unclassified Yahoo email server, and he self-reported the mistake soon after. But the Marine Corps recommended that he be discharged for mishandling classified material.

The Navy Department, which oversees the Marine Corps, had the ability to uphold or overturn the decision. However, rather than just looking at the merits of the case, Navy officials also assessed that holding new hearings on the case would renew attention on the scandal surrounding child sex abuse in Afghanistan, according to military documents newly disclosed in federal court.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Pentagon wants this case to go away .... especially when the case of Maj. Jason C. Brezler (and the harsh treatment that he has received) is compared to this other former government official who has been (and is being) treated differently .... Hero Marine Nailed for Secret Email: What Did He Do That Hillary Didn’t? (Michael Daly, Daily Beast).

There Are Currently About 280 U.S. Military Lawyers Overseeing All Proposed U.S. Combat Missions

Wikipedia

Daily Caller: EXCLUSIVE: At Least 280 Military Lawyers Scrutinize US Military Operations, Often In Real Time

U.S. military commanders must deal with at least 280 military lawyers overseeing their decisions and scrutinizing the legality all proposed U.S. combat missions before they are authorized, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation.

The number appears to be the first comprehensive compilation of the number of lawyers assigned at the headquarter levels. They provide often real-time legal advice to military commanders about the “laws of war” and rules of engagement for all U.S. military strikes, counter-terror operations and rescue missions.

Critics have charged that, as the number of lawyers in the military has swelled, lawyers are trumping commanders about military strategy and operations. Others contend that the growth in military lawyers reflects the risk-adverse nature of the Obama administration on military matters.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: These 280 lawyers do not include attorneys assigned at or below the battalion level, nor does it include lawyers or judges who oversee criminal acts committed by uniformed personnel under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. A few months ago I asked someone that I know in Moscow who is knowledgeable about Russian military operations on how many lawyers do they have that oversee Russian military operations. His answer .... none. Their past experience with lawyers in combat was more in the form of political officers overseeing military operations .... and that has been deemed as a disaster. And while there are probably lawyers in the Russian military .... military operations are conducted and overseen by military officers following specific rules of engagement (but not as detailed as what the Americans must follow), and they do so with the backing (and direction) from their political masters in the Kremlin.

U.S. Navy To Charge Chattanooga Shooting Survivor Timothy White For Firing A Gun In Self Defense During The Attack

Allen West: Navy To Prosecute Chattanooga Hero

'What kind of freaking idiots are in charge of our Armed Forces?'

According to former congressman and retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Allen West, the U.S. Navy has decided to bring charges against the naval officer who fired his personal weapon at Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez during the ISIS supporter’s July 16 attack on the Chattanooga U.S. Naval and Marine Reserve Center.

Abdulazeez, armed with a handgun and an assault rifle, killed four Marines and one sailor.

In the posting on his website Saturday, West wrote:
“Ladies and gents, resulting from the text message I received yesterday, I can confirm that the United States Navy is bringing charges against Lt. Cmdr. Timothy White for illegally discharging a firearm on federal property.

Update: Allen West: U.S. Navy Chattanooga Shooting Survivor Timothy White To Be Arrested Over Gun Control Laws -- Inquisitr

WNU Editor: No jury is ever going to convict this hero. Unfortunately .... military justice is different, and the last thing that this family needs is this case going forward. On a more positive note .... even the Pentagon is now realizing that there should be a change in policy .... Ashton Carter orders gun policy reviews at military bases after Tennessee shootings (Washington Times).

U.S. Military Judge: Politics At Play In U.S. Army General's Sex Crimes Trial

Judge Says Army May Have Improperly Swayed General’s Assault Case -- New York Times

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The military judge overseeing the court-martial of Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair, accused of sexually assaulting a 34-year-old captain formerly under his command, ruled Monday that Army officials may have been improperly influenced when they rejected General Sinclair’s offer to plead guilty to some charges before the trial.

The judge, Col. James L. Pohl, said from the bench that he was “not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt” that the prosecutors and their commanders at Fort Bragg, N.C., where General Sinclair is based and is being tried, acted completely independent of external politics and possible pressure from senior Pentagon officials when they decided to turn down General Sinclair’s offer, made late last year.

Colonel Pohl said he would give General Sinclair the opportunity, until Tuesday morning, to file a new plea offer. If the general makes a new offer, the judge said a senior Army officer not currently involved in the case would be named to decide whether to accept it.

Read more ....

More News On The Trial Of Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair

Politics at play in U.S. Army general's sex crimes trial -judge -- Reuters
Military judge in sex assault case allows general a second chance at a plea deal -- Washington Post
Judge in general's court-martial dismisses jury after e-mails emerge -- CNN
General’s sex-assault court-martial thrown into jeopardy -- AP
Judge doesn't toss sexual assault charge against general -- USA Today
Sinclair Army judge rips prosecutors about turning over evidence -- UPI

27 Former Judge Advocates And Officers Accuse The Head Of The U.S. Marines Of "Unlawful Command Influence"

Photo: Twenty-seven former Marine Corps and Navy officers and lawyers are seeking a congressional inquiry into the removal of Maj. James Weirick from his position as deputy staff judge advocate and into allegations of unlawful command influence by Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Jim Amos, above, and his senior legal advisers. Weirick made those allegations in a report to the Defense Department Inspector General more than six months ago. (Sgt. Ben J. Flores / Marine Corps)

Marines Chief Allegedly Had 'Unlawful Influence' In Taliban Urination Case -- The Guardian

Letter from ex-military officers says James Amos has deprived of due process marines shown urinating on dead Taliban fighters.

A group of former military lawyers and officers have accused the head of the US marine corps of attempting to exert "unlawful command influence" over the prosecution of soldiers who were shown urinating on dead Taliban fighters.

A letter to US lawmakers, signed by 27 individuals, says marine corps commandant James Amos appears to have deprived the marines of due process, made misleading statements about the incident under oath, abused the legal discovery process and besmirched the reputation of a marine corps whistleblower. The letter calls for a congressional inquiry into the allegations.

Read more ....

More News On Former Judge Advocates And Officers Accusing The Head Of The U.S. Marines For "Unlawful Command Influence"

Former judge advocates ask Congress to investigate top Marine officer -- Washington Times
Nearly 30 Military Officers Press Congress To Investigate The Marine Corps' Top General -- Business Insider
Former Marine attorneys call for congressional inquiry into actions of commandant -- Marine Times

My Comment: One complaint I will ignore. Two, three, or four .... I will say that there is something there. But 27 military lawyers!!!! Bottom line .... I would say that General Amos has a problem. The ball is now in  Congress to order an investigation .... an investigation and inquiry that I predict will happen.

Marine Corps Reserve Major Facing Charges After Whistle-Blowing On A Security-Pedophile Situation

Shown here is Marine reservist Jason Brezler, left. At right is Sarwar Jan, an Afghan police official whom Brezler warned his fellow Marines about.Courtesy of Brezler family

'Unfair': Marine's Career In Jeopardy Despite Role Exposing Afghan Insider Threat -- Catherine Herridge, FOX News

A good Marine is being put through the wringer -- with his career now hanging in the balance -- for mistakenly sending a threat warning from an unclassified email account, according to supporters.

The 2012 warning from Jason Brezler, a Marine Corps reservist and New York City firefighter, told his fellow Marines that a senior Afghan police official was a security risk, including allegations that he sexually abused minors on U.S. bases in Afghanistan. One of the Afghan official's assistants and purported victims, days later, opened fire and killed three U.S. Marines.

But Brezler's supporters say his career is now in jeopardy because of political correctness and a genuine fear that revealing the facts of his case will expose the underbelly of U.S. policy in Afghanistan.

Read more ....

More News On The Case Of Marine Corps Reservist Jason Brezler

Marine Officer faces possible charges on security-pedophile whistle-blowing -- Examiner
Marine officer faces administrative separation after warning of insider threat -- Marine Times
Editorial: Heed the CMC's creed -- Marine Times

My Comment: It appears that someone in authority disapproves of Major Jason Brezler's exposure of a  high ranking Afghan commander's pedophile behavior.

Why Is This U.S. Army Officer Going To Jail At Leavenworth For 20 Years?

Photo: Defend Veteran Lorance Organization

LT Clint Lorance: 20yrs In Leavenworth For Attack On Taliban UPDATE! 10.10.13 -- DCX

Twenty eight year old First Lieutenant Clint Lorance of North Texas was recently found guilty of two counts of murder in the July 2012 killing of two suspected Taliban fighters in a remote sector of Kandahar Province Afghanistan. Lorance was sentenced to 20 years in Leavenworth, dismissed from the army and must forfeit all pay. He was found not guilty of making a false official statement.

Prosecutors insisted Lorance ordered his men to open fire on unarmed civilians which violates the U.S. military‘s official rules of engagement – a policy that requires them to hold their fire unless there’s evidence of hostile action or direct hostile intent. Capt. William Miller, a government prosecutor, told the jury “Lt. Lorance used his rank and position to harass, intimidate, threaten and murder Afghans.”

Read more ....

Update #1: Are you sure you want to be an officer in the U.S. Army? -- Mark Vogl, America Today
Update #2: Obama's military contempt: The outrageous treatment of Clint Lorance -- Allen B. West, Washington Times

My Comment: This story has been completely under-reported in the media .... and from I have read so far .... I find it perplexing that he is going to jail.

Lynne Stewart Loses Bid For Early Prison Release

Lynne Stewart. NSNBC

Ailing Lawyer In Terrorism Case Loses Bid For Early Prison Release -- Reuters

(Reuters) - A former New York lawyer convicted of helping a jailed Egyptian militant cleric smuggle messages out of prison lost her bid on Friday to be released from prison because she is suffering from terminal cancer.

Lynne Stewart, 73, is three years into a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted of aiding her client, blind cleric Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted in 1995 of conspiring to attack the United Nations and other New York City landmarks.

Stewart, known for her advocacy of left-wing causes, is suffering from stage IV breast cancer and asked that her sentence be vacated or modified to time-served.

Read more ....

My Comment: In a case like this compassion is usually the rule .... but she has shown no remorse for her crimes .... and as a result she has not received the sympathetic hearing that she probably expected. But I still expect her to be released near the end of her life.

Verdict In Trial of Bradley Manning, Accused Of Leaking Classified Data, To Be Read At 1 p.m. ET Tuesday

US Army Private First Class Bradley Manning departs the courtroom after day four of his court martial at Fort Meade, Maryland June 10, 2013. (Reuters/Gary Cameron)

Verdict Near In Bradley Manning Trial -- CBS

A military judge said Monday that she expects to announce a verdict on Tuesday in the trial of Bradley Manning, a 25-year-old Army private accused of aiding the enemy by facilitating the release of a trove of classified national security documents to anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

The judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, began deliberating Friday after closing arguments brought to an end the nearly two-month trial. Manning asked for a military judge, rather than a jury, to hear his case.

In addition to aiding the enemy - the most serious charge Manning faces, which could result in a sentence of life in prison if he is convicted - Manning stands accused of federal espionage, theft, and computer fraud for his role in releasing roughly 700,000 battlefield reports, diplomatic cables, and pieces of video footage to the controversial organization, which subsequently published much of the material on its website. The unauthorized disclosure represented the largest leak of classified material in American history.

Read more ....

My Comment: I have not been in the courtroom ..... but I have been following this case very closely. My prediction .... he will be convicted and he will be spending the next 15 to 20 years in jail.

There Are Only Five Men On Death Row On The U.S. Military

The U.S. military has not executed one of its own since 1961. Here are the five men on the military's death row.

Military Death Row: More Than 50 Years And No Executions -- CNN

(CNN) -- Ronald Gray raped and battered at least seven women. He killed four, and left the others for dead -- the bodies dumped around Fort Bragg and the neighboring city of Fayetteville, North Carolina, between 1986 and 1987.

He was caught and, just as in the civilian system, he was tried.

He was found guilty by a jury of his peers, just as in the civilian system.

And a death sentence was passed, just as would have been possible in a civilian court for such a heinous crime.

But when it comes to staying alive, history is on Gray's side. The U.S. military has not executed one of its own since 1961.

Read more ....

My Comment: I doubt that these men will eventually be executed .... including Fort Hood shooter Maj. Hasan.

Update: A look at the last U.S. soldier executed by the military -- CNN

Should The U.S. President Comment On Military Court Cases?

President Obama at a meeting on sexual assault in the military in May. Judges and defense lawyers have said his remark on the issue has tainted prosecutions. Doug Mills/The New York Times

Remark by Obama Complicates Military Sexual Assault Trials -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — When President Obama proclaimed that those who commit sexual assault in the military should be “prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged,” it had an effect he did not intend: muddying legal cases across the country.

In at least a dozen sexual assault cases since the president’s remarks at the White House in May, judges and defense lawyers have said that Mr. Obama’s words as commander in chief amounted to “unlawful command influence,” tainting trials as a result. Military law experts said that those cases were only the beginning and that the president’s remarks were certain to complicate almost all prosecutions for sexual assault.

“Unlawful command influence” refers to actions of commanders that could be interpreted by jurors as an attempt to influence a court-martial, in effect ordering a specific outcome. Mr. Obama, as commander in chief of the armed forces, is considered the most powerful person to wield such influence.

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My Comment: As a former law professor President Obama should know better. But as President .... this has more to do about politics than policy.

When Generals Fail

Military Misbehavin’ -- Mark Thompson, Time

 The Army charged a general who has served five combat tours with a lengthy roster of sexual-assault and other charges last week. Why do such high-flying senior officers sometimes crash and burn like this? Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair remains innocent until proven guilty on charges including forcible sodomy, wrongful sexual conduct, inappropriate relationships and a trifecta of trouble involving misuse of a government credit card and possessing booze and porn while deployed (“It sounds like he pissed somebody off,” a retired Army colonel notes of the long list of alleged crimes, for which he faces court martial). But interviews with more than a dozen military officers, both retired and active duty, offer insights into such cases. “They’re GI Joes of the generals,” says one retired Army general. “They’ve got this whole combat persona that they project and use, and the Army is not set up to look past that. They can get away with a lot.”

Read more ....

My Comment: Here is another General that is receiving a lot of scrutiny.

Supporters Vow To Keep The Cross At The Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial

Soledad Memorial

Supporters Vow To Keep Cross In California Veterans Tribute Despite Court Ruling -- FOX News

For decades, there has been a First Amendment battle raging over the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial in La Jolla, Calif., where a large cross anchors a tribute to Korean War veterans.

Because it sits on public property, the American Civil Liberties Union has long argued that the cross amounts to an unconstitutional entanglement of government and religion.

In 2011, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, triggering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but in June, the high court justices declined to hear the case.

Read more ....

My Comment: Another example of the ACLU continuing it's efforts to wipe out any Christian references on memorials that are on government property .... but I think they have overstepped on this one.

Update: A regular reader has emailed me with the question ..... since the gravestones at Arlington cemetery and other military cemeteries have crosses, Star of David, etc. symbols ..... and these cemeteries are on government land .... can the ACLU argue that this is an unconstitutional entanglement of government and religion?

According to their argument .... and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals .... the answer apparently is yes.

US Sued By The Relatives Of US Citizens Killed By Drone Strikes In Yemen

Anwar al-Awlaki was seen as an astute communicator and linked to several plots. BBC

Relatives Sue Officials Over U.S. Citizens Killed by Drone Strikes In Yemen -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — Relatives of three American citizens killed in drone strikes in Yemen last year filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against four senior national security officials on Wednesday. The suit, in the Federal District Court here, opened a new chapter in the legal wrangling over the Obama administration’s use of drones in pursuit of terrorism suspects away from traditional “hot” battlefields like Afghanistan.

The first strike, on Sept. 30, killed a group of people including Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric who was born in New Mexico, and Samir Khan, a naturalized American citizen who lived at times in Queens, Long Island and North Carolina. The second, on Oct. 14, killed a group of people including Mr. Awlaki’s 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, who was born in Colorado.

Read more ....

More News on The US Being Sued By The Relatives Of US Citizens Killed By Drone Strikes In Yemen

Military sued over al-Awlaki Yemen drone death -- BBC
Awlaki family sues Panetta, Petraeus -- UPI
Families of US citizens killed in drone strike file wrongful death lawsuit -- The Guardian
Families sue US for killing three citizens in Yemen drone strikes -- Christian Science Monitor
Awlaki family files suit against US government over drone strikes -- FOX News
Killing of Al Qaeda cleric Awlaki unconstitutional, suit charges -- L.A. Times
Families of Americans killed by drones file suit -- Washington Post
Civil rights groups sue U.S. for killing of Americans tied to al Qaeda -- CNN
ACLU suing U.S. over drone killings of citizens in Yemen -- New York Daily News
CIA sued over targeted-kill drone strikes -- RT

Soldier Who Killed His Landlady Cleared Of Murder Because He Was Suffering From PTSD

War veteran Aaron Wilkinson said the events played out like a movie and how he 'wasn't in full control'

Soldier Who Shot Dead His Landlady Cleared Of Murder Because He Was Suffering From Post-Traumatic Stress After Serving In Afghanistan -- Daily Mail

A former soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder has been cleared today of murdering his landlady.

Aaron Wilkinson, 24, of Alma Street, Woodlesford, Leeds, was found not guilty of murdering 52-year-old Judith Garnett by shooting her in the chest and head.

Wilkinson, who was also diagnosed with a form of Asperger’s Syndrome, told Bradford Crown Court he was not in control of his actions when he shot Mrs Garnett.

He has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Read more ....

My Comment: Any predictions that Sgt. Bales' attorneys are going to use the same reasoning to explain their client's rational for killing 17 Afghan civilians.

Bales Lawyer Claims Military 'Hiding Evidence'

Attorney For Bales Says Military Broke Promise On Witness Access -- CNN

(CNN) -- The lawyer for U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, charged with murdering 17 Afghan villagers, said Friday the defense team has been "misled greatly" by U.S. military prosecutors, who have blocked access to information.

John Henry Browne said he was "promised" that witnesses to the incident would be available for them to interview in Afghanistan, "and they were not."

"My staff on the ground is really upset with the promise they made to us," Browne told reporters.

Read more ....

More News On The Legal Preparations For Afghan Massacre Suspect Sgt. Bales

U.S. Soldier’s Lawyer Says Access Denied to Evidence -- New York Times
Afghan Suspect Attorney: US Gov 'Hiding Evidence' -- ABC/AP
Bales Lawyer Claims Military Stymieing Defense Efforts -- Wall Street Journal
Is Robert Bales competent to stand trial? Army prepares to ask -- L.A. Times

My Comment: this is the start for what i predict will be a very long trial.