from the wapo:
JERUSALEM, Dec. 24 — Israeli military prosecutors have determined that Israel’s use of cluster bombs during last year’s war in Lebanon did not violate international humanitarian law, the army said Monday, closing an investigation into a practice that has drawn heavy criticism from the United Nations and international human rights groups.
move it along, folks. nothing to see here.
we care about the mental health of our returning soldiers… unless we don’t.
astonishing institutionalized disconnect in the army strikes again; psychiatrists finally tell prosecuting attorneys they’re full of shit. who knows if it will make a difference.
Military psychiatrists at Walter Reed who examined Whiteside after she recovered from her self-inflicted gunshot wound diagnosed her with a severe mental disorder, possibly triggered by the stresses of a war zone. But Whiteside’s superiors considered her mental illness “an excuse” for criminal conduct, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.
At the hearing, Wolfe, who had already warned Whiteside’s lawyer of the risk of using a “psychobabble” defense, pressed a senior psychiatrist at Walter Reed to justify his diagnosis.
“I’m not here to play legal games,” Col. George Brandt responded angrily, according to a recording of the hearing. “I am here out of the genuine concern for a human being that’s breaking and that is broken. She has a severe and significant illness. Let’s treat her as a human being, for Christ’s sake!”
it gets better. general schoomaker, now the surgeon general of the army, was of the medical opinion that
“This officer has a demonstrably severe depression which manifested itself . . . as a psychotic, self-destructive episode…
and yet, military bureaucrats in the warrior transition brigade (mission: “to facilitate warriors’ transition and healing process“) maintained that
“Although the sanity board determined that at the time of the misconduct she had a severe mental disease or defect, she knowingly assaulted and threatened others and injured herself.”
and
her “defense that she suffers from a mental disease excusing her actions is just that . . . an excuse; an excuse to distract from choices and decisions made by 1LT Whiteside.”
read the whole article. it’s pretty sick.
is tickling me greatly.
tie-ins with donorschoose.org, clear explanations of corporate donations to (not) election activities and his push to get on the south carolina primary ballot.
a slightly more detailed look at the phenomenon by farhad manjoo.
heh.
…but thank heavens other people do? wanna read about federalism (or is it confederalism?) in star trek? here ya go!
gee. my law school lectures were never that much fun. but i do love those genius geekboys.
The Army confirmed in a Thursday report that 99 soldiers committed suicide last year, the highest number in a single year since 1991.
The figures also showed that of the 44 soldiers who have so far committed suicide in 2007, 17 were in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Although occupational issues may have contributed to some of the suicides, the report said soldiers also suffered from failed relationships and legal and financial trouble. The overall suicide rate for soldiers in 2006 was 17.3 per 100,000 soldiers, up from 12.8 per 100,000 in 2005 and 10.8 per 100,000 in 2004.
and it just gets worse. full story at govexec.com
hat tip: kickgirl
*phone rings*
hello?
*pre-recorded, male, vaguely african-american voice begins to run*
hello. this is a 45-second survey. do you intend to vote in the 2008 presidential election?
yes.
this question concerns the attempts of some radical members of society trying to create a two-tiered system of justice. do you believe that all human life should be protected equally under the law?
depends on what you mean by “human life.”
please answer yes, no, or repeat.
repeat.
this question concerns the attempts of some radical members of society trying to create a two-tiered system of justice. do you believe that all human life should be protected equally under the law?
*sigh*
no.
are you male?
no.
are you over fifty?
no.
thank you. this survey was authorized and sponsored by the family research council.
*click*
how much do you wanna bet this gets publicized as a properly conducted public opinion poll? and i’d love to see the entire instrument.
i think this is an excellent reason for congress to take up the impeachment of dick cheney.