Military Drops All Charges Against Muslim Chaplain

AP | 3/19/04 | AP

[technomage]

AP News Alert
03/19 6:07p CST MIAMI (AP)

U.S. military drops all charges of alleged mishandling of classified information against Muslim Army chaplain at Guantanamo Bay.

[endowedbycreator]

Why do we have Muslim chaplains again?

And why are any of them Wahhabi?

[pitinkie]

My Hubby and Son are in DC to look at colleges. At George Washington their guide was muslim and was so happy to keep telling them there is a full-time muslim chaplain on staff there.

[knarf]

Wait a minute! Didn't they catch him with sensative material .. paper and computer?

[mrs tiggywinkle]

Could it be that they dropped charges in trade for information?

A friend of ours is an Air Force JAG...I'll ask.

[Shermy]

Wait a minute! Didn't they catch him with sensative material .. paper and computer?

Nope.

When that failed they tried to charge Yee with adultery and porn.

[deport]

Charges Dropped Against Muslim Chaplain

11 minutes ago

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MIAMI - All charges have been dropped against the Army Muslim chaplain accused of mishandling classified documents at Guantanamo Bay, which houses suspected terrorists, the Army said Friday.

Capt. James Yee will be allowed to return his previous duty station at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Wash., said Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo.

The Army charged Yee last September with mishandling classified material, failing to obey an order, making a false official statement, adultery and conduct unbecoming an officer for allegedly downloading pornography on his government laptop.

His lawyer said last week that a proposed settlement was in the works.

Miller said Yee will be offered nonjudicial punishment for allegations of adultery and pornography.

Click

[vp_cal]

what was your son's response?

[onedoug]

When that failed they tried to charge Yee with adultery and porn.

Rightly, I believe.

"Miller said Yee will be offered nonjudicial punishment for allegations of adultery and pornography...."

He should be kicked out of the service.

[pitinkie]

He asked if there was a Priest or Rabbi full time...the guide shrugged his shoulders. Thats it!

[Lurking in Kansas]

Ha. Ha. But this isn't funny. YOU CAN NOT BE SERIOUS.

[technomage]

Charges Dropped Against Muslim Chaplain
03/19 6:57p CST
LARRY HOBBS

MIAMI (AP) - Citing national security concerns, the Army on Friday dropped all charges against a Muslim chaplain accused of mishandling classified documents at Guantanamo Bay, which houses suspected terrorists.

Capt. James Yee will be allowed to return to his previous duty station at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Wash., said the U.S. Southern Command, which oversees the detention center in Cuba.

In dismissing the charges, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, which operates the detention center, cited "national security concerns that would arise from the release of the evidence" if the case proceeded.

"In the grand scheme of things, and in the interest of national security, Gen. Miller felt like the charges needed to be dropped," said Lt. Col. Bill Costello, a Southcom spokesman. "It seemed to be the prudent way to proceed."

The Army charged Yee last September with mishandling classified material, failing to obey an order, making a false official statement, adultery and conduct unbecoming an officer for allegedly downloading pornography on his government laptop.

His lawyer said last week that a proposed settlement was in the works.

Miller said Yee, a 35-year-old Chinese-American, will be offered nonjudicial punishment for allegations of adultery and pornography.

That would come through an Article 15 proceeding, the military's method for dealing with minor infractions. The penalties would be minor, such as duty restriction or a temporary pay cut.

"We anticipate that Yee will be returned to his home duty station at Ft. Lewis, Washington, at the conclusion of any Article 15 proceedings," Southcom said in a news release.

If convicted of all the original charges, Yee could have faced dismissal and a maximum of 14 years in prison.

Yee previously was a chaplain at Fort Lewis, and his wife and child live in Olympia, Wash. At Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, he counseled suspected terrorists and dispensed religious guidance.

There were initial reports that Yee was being investigated as part of an espionage probe at the base, but he was never charged with spying.

He was arrested Sept. 10 as he arrived at a Jacksonville, Fla., naval base, from Guantanamo, carrying what authorities said were classified documents. Some of the documents were taken from his backpack, and others came from his laptop and his quarters at Guantanamo, officials said.

[xzins]

No, they negotiated. They drop those charges and he is charged with adultery and released from the military without benefits. I read that last week someplace.

[Libertina]

I will be over near Ft. Lewis tomorrow. We do NOT like to see this so-called chaplain come back here. But I am certain they will watch him very closely...

[Libertina]

Cyber, pings please... BTW Are you going to ceom to Outpost 122 tomorrow? Hope to see you for lunch at Galloping Gertie's! (1:30 or so)

[tubavil]

That's exactly what happened.

Other news items give more info like "charges dropped...in deal with defense attorneys."

Mr. muslim terrorist is singing to the military and feds.

[Moose4]

Hmm. The fact that they're dropping the charges "citing national security concerns" must mean one of two things:

(a) Cpt. Yee had some gooooood stuff on him that can be used to make much more important intelligence gains or arrests down the road; or

(b) The military's case has imploded and they don't want to be humiliated, so they're using the "national security concerns" fig leaf.

}:-)4

[xm177e2]

What about the charge of infidelity? (no, that's not a pun, I think he was also charged with cheating on his wife)

[Ben Hecks]

This probably means Cpt. Yee can forget about a below-the-zone promotion to Major.

[alpowolf]

Perhaps some of the blind fear is subsiding and they'll stop seeing terrorists in every shadow.

[ozzymandus]

Never mind.

[Old Sarge]

I hope to Ghod you're right. And I hope we make him pay, too, more than a stinking Article 15!!

[My Dog Likes Me]

Didn't this guy convert to Islam when he was at West Point?

I can almost understand the charges of adultery and the "looking up porno on government computers" thing. Hey, it happens. But voluntarily converting to Islam is really, really unbecoming an officer. Or a rational American, for that matter.

I hate to sound extreme, but this is like a West Pointer "converting" to Nazi.

[ppaul]

Yee

chap-lain: 1. A clergyman in charge of a chapel.
- Merriam Webster online dictionary

But, Muslims don't have "chapels"!!!
So how the heck can a Muslim be a chaplain?

[ppaul]

They drop those charges and he is charged with adultery and released from the military without benefits.

Nope.
This guy gets off easy - and, he gets full retirement benefits to boot.
American taxpayers and legitimate soldiers get shafted again.

[xzins]

Miller said Yee will be offered nonjudicial punishment for allegations of adultery and pornography.

This is from the AP.

I'm a retired chaplain. If this is true then Yee can either accept the non-judicial punishment OR go to a court-martial trial on those charges.

They have an admission from the woman he committed adultery with, so it is a slam dunk.

Therefore, he will accept the non-judicial punishment. Once he does, his career is over. He is about a 6-9 year captain who is coming up for major. He will NOT make it through the major's board. Therefore, he will be out on the street.

Prior to that, he could be ADMINISTRATIVELY dropped from the military for being a detriment to morale -- an officer with such charges on his file -- with a gen/honorable or a general discharge (or less.)

[xzins]

Miller said Yee will be offered nonjudicial punishment for allegations of adultery and pornography.

This is from the AP. (ARI -- what do you see about the following, given the above italicized fact from the AP being true?)

I'm a retired chaplain. If this is true then Yee can either accept the non-judicial punishment OR go to a court-martial trial on those charges.

They have an admission from the woman he committed adultery with, so it is a slam dunk. They have his computer...slam dunk.

Therefore, he will accept the non-judicial punishment. Once he does, his career is over. He is about a 6-9 year captain who is coming up for major. He will NOT make it through the major's board. Therefore, he will be out on the street.

Prior to that, he could be ADMINISTRATIVELY dropped from the military for being a detriment to morale -- an officer with such charges on his file -- with a gen/honorable or a general discharge (or less.)

[eleni121]

Several thousand troops stationed in Saudi after Desert Storm reportedly "converted" to Mohameddanism while waiting to go home after the war. There was a "cultural center" of sorts set up by the Saudis and bored Americans would go there and the damage was done. Remember we couldn't have an Christian chaplains there at the time (correct me if I'm wrong on that)

That's where this POS got converted.

[livius]

Don't forget that Timothy McVeigh was among them (it's never been proven that he converted, but he was certainly radicalized there).

[stevem99]

He gets off easy for what? Supposedly having porn and having an affair? My read is that many of the people on FR are more upset that he's Muslim than for anything he actually did.

The claim that they can't try him because it will jeapordize national security doesn't hold up - the attorneys and judge are already cleared to view classified documents. Face it, the government majorly screwed up this case.

[stevem99]

Note that government figured out in the middle of the case that they didn't even know which, if any, of the documents were actually classified.

Given that level of incompetence, I think it's a safe bet that they're covering their ass.

[DoctorMichael]

From #12:

".......Citing national security concerns, the Army on Friday dropped all charges......"

What the.........?

[Dave Elias]

"chap-lain: 1. A clergyman in charge of a chapel.
- Merriam Webster online dictionary

But, Muslims don't have "chapels"!!!
So how the heck can a Muslim be a chaplain?"

Yes but the far more respected OED defines it thus:

cha'plain (-lin) n. Clergyman on institution, private chapel, ship, regiment, etc.; ~cy; n. [F f. L (CHAPEL)]

[CyberCowboy777]

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No I cannot make it.. Gonna miss all the fun.

[Ronin]

I agree, but I am hoping it is (a). Not that dropping the charges is going to do any good if he was innocent.

He will be out soon, and if he was innocent, he is sure to raise a hellified stink.

[hershey]

A radio report on Friday said the feds were dropping the most serious charges because the defense would have insisted on revealing sensitive material. Now it looks as if he'll get away scotfree. Not good, guys.

[lilylangtree]

Yee was caught red-handed with documents he wasn't suppose to have and the military let this islamic go free. Unbelievable!

[Diva Betsy Ross]

I would really like to read more about this. Do you have any links or resources? I have personally met a handful of Desert Storm Vets who came home very confused about their religion, or identifying themselves as religious for the first time ever and "converting" to Islam of other cult religions, as well as trouble with their feelings toward America.

I wonder what happened to these guys?

BTW- Anyone looking to flame me, I am not saying all Desert Storm Vets returned this way, but I have meet a few and read about groups of them.

[eleni121]

I am curious about these "conversions" as well. For now here is an article which has just been posted at the Intelwire website. I will do a search on this and keep you informed. I am sure others here also have info on this phenomenon.

http://www.intelwire.com/hamptonel010604.html

[eleni121]

This is another one about "Yousef" - that also leads to other sources.

http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RINVol6No3/case%20of%20chaplain%20yee.htm