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Marines Granted Immunity In Haditha Deaths

Saturday, April 21st, 2007

Testimony May Be Used Against 7 Other Marines Facing Charges In Killing Of 24 Iraqi Civilians

 

(AP) Military prosecutors have granted immunity to at least seven Marines connected to an attack that killed 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, the deadliest criminal case against U.S. troops in the Iraq war.

Orders granting the immunity ensure any testimony the Marines volunteer cannot be used against them, making it highly unlikely charges will be brought against the men. They also suggest their eyewitness accounts will feature prominently in military court hearings for seven other Marines charged in the case.

The orders were obtained by The Associated Press from someone involved in the case who declined to be identified because the documents are not public.

Among those provided with immunity to testify are an officer who told troops to raid a house, and a sergeant who took photographs of the dead but later deleted them from his camera.

One of the servicemen, Lance Cpl. Humberto Manuel Mendoza, was a member of the squad that cleared several homes and killed the Iraqis in the aftermath of a Nov. 19, 2005 roadside bomb attack that killed one Marine.

Mendoza, who was not charged in the case, told investigators that he shot at least two men, but did so because they were in houses declared hostile.

“I was following my training that all individuals in a hostile house are to be shot,” Mendoza told investigators. He was given immunity Dec. 18, just days before the Marine Corps announced murder charges against four enlisted men and dereliction of duty charges against four officers.

The Marine Corps said Tuesday that it dropped all charges against one of the eight men, Sgt. Sanick P. Dela Cruz of Chicago. Dela Cruz also has been given immunity to testify.

1st Lt. William Kallop, the first officer to arrive at the scene of the explosion, was granted immunity to talk to prosecutors April 3 as part of an order to “cooperate and truthfully answer all questions posed by investigators.” He has not been charged in the case.

Kallop was with a rapid-response force that arrived minutes after the bomb went off. According to investigative documents, he said squad leader Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich and Cpl. Hector Salinas heard gunfire coming from a nearby house. Kallop told investigators that he ordered the men to “take the house.”

In the ensuing raids on several homes, 24 Iraqis died, including women and children. Wuterich is charged with 13 counts of unpremeditated murder; Salinas has not been charged.

Kallop’s attorney did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Two other officers and several enlisted men were also given immunity to testify.

A legal expert said by giving so many people immunity, prosecutors are taking a “conservative” approach to the case, which is the biggest to have emerged against U.S. troops since the start of the war in Iraq.

“These are legitimate moves by the prosecutor, who is very cautious,” said Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps prosecutor and judge who teaches law of war at Georgetown University Law Center.

Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson said he could not discuss the ongoing investigation.

Preliminary hearings for the seven Marines still facing charges are expected in the coming weeks at Camp Pendleton.

Aside from Wuterich, the others facing unpremeditated murder charges are Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, 22, of Canonsburg, Pa. and Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum, 25, of Edmond, Okla.

Lt. Col. Jeffrey R. Chessani, 42, of Rangely, Colo., 1st Lt. Andrew A. Grayson, 25, Capt. Lucas McConnell, 31, of Napa, Calif., and Capt. Randy W. Stone, 34, face charges in connection with how the incident was investigated or reported.
©MMVI, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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U.N. rights report omits Iraqi civilians

Saturday, April 21st, 2007

KIM GAMEL

The United Nations will not include Iraqi civilian casualty figures in its next human rights report, a spokesman said Friday, omitting what many had viewed as a rare, reliable indicator of suffering in Iraq.

The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq had been releasing bimonthly reports assessing the human rights situation and providing death and injury tolls.

The last report was issued in late January, and U.N. officials in Baghdad had been saying for weeks that the new version would be released soon.

Mission spokesman Said Arikat told The Associated Press that the next report would be released on Wednesday, but he said it would cover a three-month period starting in January and would not have a casualty toll.

Arikat said casualty figures could be released “in the near future.” He declined to elaborate on that issue before a news conference on Wednesday.

The U.N. has said its figures were compiled with information from the Iraqi Health Ministry, hospitals across the country and the Medico-Legal Institute in Baghdad. Iraqi officials have complained that the numbers were too high.

Mahmoud Othman, a prominent Kurdish lawmaker, blamed the Iraqi government for withholding official figures.

“Transparency and clarity are badly needed regarding the Iraqi civilian casualty figures. It is the duty of the Iraqi government to release such figures instead of pressuring others not to do so,” he said. “Hiding figures is not in the interests of the Iraqi people.”

Government representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.

Arikat said the agency had decided to issue the reports quarterly instead of every two months to allow it to focus more on specific themes like child abuse and detention centers.

He said the decision to change the timeframe “has absolutely nothing to do with pressure or the position of the Iraqi government.”

Numbers for Iraqi civilians killed since the U.S.-led invasion began in March 2003 vary widely and are believed to be vastly underreported, in part because of political pressure.

The last U.N. report found that 34,452 civilians were killed last year, including 6,376 in November and December.

The U.N. figures drew widespread international attention as retaliatory sectarian violence surged following a Feb. 22, 2006, bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra.

They reached an all-time high with 7,054 civilians reported killed in September and October, most in Baghdad.

At that time, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh called the U.N. report “inaccurate and exaggerated” because it was not based on official government reports.

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Pentagon prevents military officers from testifying before House panel

Saturday, April 21st, 2007

Megan Scully

CongressDaily Pentagon lawyers abruptly blocked mid-level active-duty military officers from speaking Thursday during a closed-door House Armed Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee briefing about their personal experiences working with Iraqi security forces.

The Pentagon’s last-minute refusal to allow the officers’ presentations surprised panel members and congressional aides, who are in the middle of an investigation into the effort to train and organize Iraqi forces.

Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Martin Meehan, D-Mass., called the Pentagon’s move “outrageous” and left open the possibility of issuing subpoenas. “We have the power and the authority to subpoena whoever we want,” Meehan said.

The episode was “one of these out-of-the-blue, what-is-going-on kinds of things,” said Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee ranking member Todd Akin, R-Mo.

A Pentagon spokeswoman defended the decision, stating that the committee did not comply with “long-standing” Defense Department policy stipulating that briefings not be recorded.

The committee had agreed not to record the briefing, the spokeswoman said. But, she added, “When we went there, we found out that it was going to be recorded and it wasn’t in compliance with our policy.”

But Meehan said he only heard about the issue of recording shortly before the meeting. The subcommittee’s policy is to record all briefings, he said.

“The Pentagon does not make our rules,” Meehan said.

The standoff between the Pentagon and the panel occurred as Congress and the White House remain locked in a battle over access to information on the Justice Department’s firing of eight U.S. attorneys. President Bush has refused to allow senior aides to testify under oath during public proceedings. Instead, the White House has offered aides to speak only privately with lawmakers — with no transcript.

For the Thursday briefing, the Pentagon had flown in three officers from Fort Riley, Kan. — a lieutenant colonel, major and a captain — to speak to the panel. But they and a few other active-duty officers could only attend the meeting and speak to lawmakers off the record afterward.

Akin, who likened the issue to a “test of wills between a couple of staffers between two different branches of government,” said the officers provided valuable insights after the session. “It’s kind of a shame they couldn’t be part of it,” Akin said.

The Pentagon’s decision to halt the briefing followed a memo sent to Capitol Hill that stipulated ground rules for “this and future requests for DOD participants” in congressional briefings. The memo was dated April 16, but Akin said the committee did not receive it until Wednesday night.

In the memo, the Pentagon stipulates that rules governing participation in congressional briefings vary depending on rank. More junior officers, for example, may only provide support to higher-level briefers and are not required to have their names in the record, the memo says.

The memo also states there should be no transcripts for “briefings and interviews.”

An Army Reserve major and an Army National Guard first lieutenant — dressed in civilian clothing — were allowed to testify Thursday. The Pentagon spokeswoman said the reserve officers had paid their way to Washington and made clear they were not speaking on behalf of the Pentagon.

“I think it was a very unwise decision,” said Rep. Robert Andrews, D-N.J., a subcommittee member who immediately brought the issue to the attention of Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo. “Transparency builds trust. Trust builds support.”

In a brief interview late Thursday, Skelton said he was looking into the issue. Andrews said the panel members are well aware of the military chain of command, and they understand military officers cannot make political statements. The goal of the hearing, he said, was to get an assessment from operational commanders of the Iraqi forces and their training, readiness and willingness to engage insurgents.

Both Akin and Andrews said it is not uncommon to have young military officers and enlistees testify before congressional committees during hearings and brief members during less formal meetings.

Indeed, Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan and Staff Sgt. John Shannon testified March 5 before the House Oversight and Government Reform National Security Subcommittee hearing at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

And on Jan. 23, Army 1st Sgt. Ciaran Allison testified before the House Armed Services Committee on the impact of Iraq operations on Army readiness.

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Space Center gunman kills hostage, self

Saturday, April 21st, 2007

It’s not known why contractor took gun to work

MARK CARREAU and RUTH RENDON
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

A NASA contract worker barricaded himself inside a Johnson Space Center building Friday and killed one of two hostages before committing suicide.

William A. Phillips, a 60-year-old engineer, fatally shot co-worker David Beverly in the chest with a snub-nosed revolver at about 1:40 p.m., authorities said.

More than three hours later, with Houston police and JSC security officers inside the three-story Building 44, Phillips shot himself in the head. In the same room, police found a second hostage, Francelia Crenshaw, also a contract worker, bound to a chair with duct tape.

She was taken to Christus St. John Hospital near the center and later released.

It was not clear why Phillips — described as a model employee for 13 years by Mike Coats, JSC’s director — went on the rampage. Police were unable to communicate with him during the standoff.

On a chalkboard in the room where his body was found, Phillips left a list of names and phone numbers and a scribbled note, which was not immediately understandable, Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt said.

Coats said they are trying to confirm a report that Phillips, Crenshaw, Beverly and a fourth person went to lunch together. There was apparently a dispute between Phillips and Beverly, but authorities did not know when the argument began.

During the standoff, Phillips did not threaten Crenshaw, who was not injured, Hurtt said. Although Crenshaw had duct tape on her mouth, she was able to take it off and call JSC security.

“She was very courageous,” Hurtt said. “It was a positive relationship between her and the suspect.”

No immediate family

Unmarried and with no children, Phillips’ closest relative is a cousin, Hurtt said.

Police also searched Phillips’ sparsely furnished house in Clear Lake for more than an hour, but found nothing to indicate he had planned the confrontation, officer Gabe Ortiz said.

Phillips worked for Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., which employs more than 1,000 employees in its five-year contract with NASA. The Pasadena,

Calif.-based company has a wide-ranging business that includes aerospace and defense contracts, as well as providing services to the energy, pharmaceutical, building and automotive industries.

Work history withheld

For NASA, the engineering firm has been involved in designing a system to analyze the impact of debris that may hit the space shuttle’s wings, according to the company’s Web site.

John Prosser, the company’s executive vice president of finance and administration, confirmed Phillips’ employment but would not release any details concerning his work history.

“We do not release personal data,” Prosser said, adding that the company would not release any further comment until the conclusion of the case.

Phillips worked with Beverly, a NASA civil servant, and Crenshaw, who is an employee of MRI Computer Services, in Building 44, located at the center of the sprawling 1,600-acre campus.

Beverly’s wife, Linda, said he was an electrical parts specialist and had recently celebrated 25 years of service with NASA.

“He was an incredible man. He absolutely loved working for NASA and he felt he was called to the space program,” she said.

In all, about 50 people work in the three-story building, which includes offices and two labs for engineers working on communications and tracking systems related to the space shuttle program.

After the first reports of gunfire, employees evacuated the building and others were ordered to remain in their offices for several hours. Nearby, Space Center Intermediate School kept its teachers and 900 students inside until 3:30 p.m.

The standoff, officials said, did not disrupt activity at Mission Control, where the agency was preparing for today’s return of a Russian spacecraft carrying two Americans.

Coats updated employees on the situation in an e-mail message Friday night.

”A tragedy struck our NASA family today,” he wrote. ”While we don’t understand all that has happened, our hearts and prayers go out to the families and co-workers who lost their loved ones today and the survivor who endured a tragic ordeal.”

Counselors available

Coats said he expected the NASA facility to return to normal operations on Monday, largely because the incident was confined to one building. However, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin was flying to Houston to meet with Coats and his staff this morning to discuss operations.

NASA, meanwhile, will offer counseling to employees, Coats said.

Phillips was known in his neighborhood as a quiet man who kept to himself. Joseph Thomas, who lived across Jade Meadow Court from Phillips for three years, did not recognize his name and rarely saw him.

Michael Russell, who lived in the same well-kept subdivision as Phillips for 13 years, said he had waved at him on the way to work Friday, and was stunned to learn of the violent outburst just hours later.

“There was nothing in his behavior, the way he acted or what he said that would give you any indication that he would snap like this,” Russell said.

Few neighbors said they even knew where Phillips worked.

Prompting look at stress

The baffling tragedy was a second jolt to NASA in less than three months. Former astronaut Lisa Nowak is accused of trying to kidnap a rival for a space shuttle pilot’s affections in February.

Nowak, who drove to Florida from Houston to confront the other woman, became the first astronaut charged with a felony and subsequently became the first astronaut fired from the astronaut corps.

The two incidents raised questions about the stress level of workers at the NASA installation.

“We need to look at it,” Coats said late Friday. “Are the employees stressed out here or no? I don’t know. We’ve tried to keep our fingers on that pulse. We work our folks pretty hard, no question about it.”

Police don’t know where Phillips had his pistol concealed when he came onto the property, Hurtt said, adding that the weapon was bought March 18 at a local gun shop.

NASA will take a second look at security, said Eileen Hawley, the agency’s director of external relations. People who work at JSC must show a picture badge at the gate, and guards search some cars at random. Some buildings have metal detectors and added security checks, but not all, including Building 44.

“Because of the Virginia Tech shootings this week we reviewed our procedures and concluded they didn’t need to change anything,” Coats said, adding the procedures would be reviewed again.

Chronicle reporters Tom Fowler, Paige Hewitt, Anne Marie Kilday, Armando Villafranca and the Associated Press contributed to this report. The story was written by Matthew Tresaugue.

matthew.tresaugue@chron.com  

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Two-Thirds of Americans Question Iraq War

Saturday, April 21st, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe the coalition effort was a mistake, according to a poll by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News. 66 per cent of respondents think the war with Iraq was not worth fighting.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,315 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 24,700 troops have been wounded in action.

In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May 2006, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.

On Mar. 23, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 218-212 to authorize an emergency supplemental war spending bill, which sets a deadline of Aug. 31, 2008 for the end of the coalition effort in Iraq. On Mar. 29, the U.S. Senate voted 51-47 to pass a separate bill, which calls for all combat troops to be removed from Iraq by Mar. 31, 2008. 56 per cent of respondents think the U.S. should withdraw its forces from Iraq, and 51 per cent want the government to seat a deadline for this purpose.

On Apr. 18, U.S. president George W. Bush met with Congressional leaders to discuss the war in Iraq. Senate majority leader Harry Reid described his views, saying, “We believe (Bush) must search his soul, his conscience and find out what is the right thing for the American people. I believe signing this bill will do that.”

Deputy White House press secretary Dana Perino acknowledged that there is little consensus on the issue, declaring, “It appears that they are determined to send a bill to the president that he won’t accept. They fundamentally disagree.” Bush has vowed to veto any bill that sets a deadline for the coalition effort.

Polling Data

All in all, considering the costs to the United States versus the benefits to the United States, do you think the war with Iraq was worth fighting, or not?

	Apr. 2007	Feb. 2007	Jan. 2007
Worth fighting	33%	34%	40%
Not worth fighting	66%	64%	58%
No opinion	1%	2%	2%

Do you think the United States should keep its military forces in Iraq until civil order is restored there, even if that means continued U.S. military casualties; or, do you think the United States should withdraw its military forces from Iraq in order to avoid further U.S. military casualties, even if that means civil order is not restored there?

	Apr. 2007	Feb. 2007	Jan. 2007
Keep forces	42%	42%	46%
Withdraw forces	56%	56%	52%
No opinion	2%	2%	3%

Some people say the Bush administration should set a deadline for withdrawing U.S. military forces from Iraq in order to avoid further casualties. Others say knowing when the U.S. would pull out would only encourage the anti-government insurgents. Do you yourself think the United States should or should not set a deadline for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq?

	Apr. 2007	Feb. 2007	Jun. 2006
Should set a deadline	51%	53%	47%
Should not set a deadline	48%	46%	51%
No opinion	1%	1%	1%

Source: TNS / Washington Post / ABC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,141 American adults, conducted from Apr. 12 to Apr. 15, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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Authorities were told to take no action to pursue killer

Saturday, April 21st, 2007

Sources: Feds Ordered VA Police To Stand Down

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet

Police and EMT workers at Virginia Tech tell us that campus police were given a federal order to stand down and not pursue killer Cho Seung-Hui as Monday’s bloodshed unfolded.

Though wishing to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, we have received calls from police and EMT’s who tell us that a stand down order was in place, and this is also confirmed by eyewitness Matt Kazee, who is a Blacksburg local.

Kazee talked to local EMT’s and police who told him the same thing, that the order was to wait until federal back up arrived before any action was taken. This explains the complete non-response of the police in the two hour gap between Cho’s first two murders and the wider rampage that would follow later that morning.

The policy of federal control over the University was put in place following a previous shooting in August 2006 in which a police officer and a hospital security guard were killed.

In addition, a former long-term University police officer, George French, told the Alex Jones Show that it is routine to seal off a campus on which a suspected gunman is loose.

“Setting up a series of roadblocks, controlling access to very large pieces of property, is very much routine on any university campus in Canada and in the United States,” said French.

“After a double homicide, when you’re looking for a dangerous fellow with a firearm, I find it unfathomable that a series of roadblocks weren’t set up…to prevent the felon from escaping.”

French could find no logical conclusion other than deliberate inaction on the part of officials. “We have another coordinated, allowed event…the parallels are so common in each case; you can write the script in advance.”

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