Free Republic

RSBN was not permitted to have its own TV crew at the debate, so it streamed a common media feed. Hillary was not shown for a single second during the actual debate; the camera remained fixed on Trump throughout! It was bizarre to say the least.

The House Republicans passed a bill to keep the government running. I’m sick of hearing that it’s the Republicans who want to shut down the government. Let’s turn this around and pin the tail on the donkey, where it belongs. It is the Senate Democrats who are ready to shut down the government, just to preserve the ruinous Obama-care program which the public doesn’t want, and which business, unions, legislators and government employees are fighting to escape. N

I am so saddened to report that the Supreme Court has just announced its refusal to hear the petition from 1Lt Behenna's lawyers, in spite of the urging of high ranking former military officers, law enforcement officials and congressmen. Now our prayers will have to be directed toward clemency hearings and perhaps a future presidential pardon. May God save our country.

"The family and supporters of a U.S. soldier convicted and sentenced to prison for shooting and killing a terror suspect who apparently lunged at him and tried to grab his weapon say they are preparing to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the case and affirm the soldier’s right to self defense."

I just received a phone call soliciting a donation to the CRNC. I believe they are currently doing a good job, but I would appreciate Freeper comments. Thanks for any insight you can give.

"The terrorist threat that led to the declaration on September 14, 2001, of a national emergency continues. For this reason, I have determined that it is necessary to continue in effect after September 14, 2011, the national emergency with respect to the terrorist threat. Barack Obama"

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces _ the military’s highest appeals court _ has set oral arguments for April 23 in the case of 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, who was convicted in 2009 of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone.

To summarize the case, on April 21, 2008, terrorists attacked Behenna’s platoon, wounding two of his men and killing two others, along with two Iraqi civilians. On May 5th, officials arrested Ali-Mansur for his involvement in this particular attack. After questioning Mansur, Army Intelligence released him without explanation, then turned him over to Behenna to escort Mansur back to his home. Behenna attempted to interrogate Mansur. Would you briefly summarize the case in the death of Ali-Mansur? A: My understanding is that the prosecution believed Behenna shot Ali Mansur when he was sitting down. The first shot was to the...

The family of an Edmond soldier convicted of murdering an Iraqi while fighting overseas received good news Friday morning. The highest military appeals court decided to hear Lieutenant Michael Behenna's case. He is serving his 15-year sentence in the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, prison. This appeal could overturn that conviction and the sentence for killing Ali Mansur in 2008. Behenna previously testified he shot in self-defense when Ali Mansur reached out for his gun. Prosecutors argued that Behenna killed Mansur by shooting him in the head, execution style. "Those shots are horizontal and parallel to each other, inconsistent with the fact...

To the thousands of supporters of 1Lt Michael Behenna, It has been awhile since we sent out an update. Michael's lawyers have filed the petition to the Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces (CAAF). The CAAF is the highest court for the military justice system and is similar to the Supreme Court as they do not have to take your appeal. There were four issues on Michael's case presented to the CAAF and we would expect to hear within 30-60 days whether the CAAF will hear his case. If the CAAF does not choose to hear any of the...

Can someone draw a relatively simple political cartoon for one-time local use? If so, please rely privately.

Below is a letter Lt. Behenna has just sent out. To all of my supporters, I wanted to write this letter to the thousands of people all over the world who continue to support me and still have hope that justice is indeed attainable in the military justice system. It is an attempt to show my mindset here in prison to the people whom I have not had the opportunity to meet. Recently the Army Court of Appeals ruled against my request for a new trial. As odd as it may sound, I have been preparing for this day for...

This is so sad. It calls for letters and prayers: "We have no idea why they denied Michael’s clemency request and can only surmise that the Secretary of the Army desires Michael to spend a substantial amount of time in prison."

Freepers in the DC/Arlington VA area, please help 1st Lieutenant Behenna, who is imprisoned in Ft. Leavenworth, unjustly convicted of first degree murder in the self-defense shooting of a known Al Qaeda operative in Iraq. (Full details at www.defendmichael.com) If you possibly can, please attend his appeal hearing to help show that the public is aware of this miscarriage of justice and wants to see it corrected. His case will be heard next Thursday, Dec 9th, in the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 901 N. Stuart Street (sixth floor), Arlington, VA. The hearing is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM,...

* Lt. Behenna, who lost two members of his platoon just weeks earlier, was ordered to transport [terrorist suspect] back to his home * Lt. Behenna attempts a final interrogation of {the suspect] prior to his release * During the interrogation, Behenna is attacked by [the suspect] and is forced to defend himself. During the altercation, the terrorist is killed. * Prosecution expert Dr. Herbert MacDonnell is not called to testify in the case and instead is sent home. Just before leaving the courthouse he picks up his coat from the prosecution room and says to the three prosecutors (Megan...

I just received an email from Michael Behenna's family. Excerpts follow; the full story is at www.defendmichael.com. "Michael’s long awaited Appellate Argument has finally been scheduled. It will take place on December 9, 2010 at 10am before the Army Court of Appeals in Washington DC." "The appellate court will review: 1) The failure of the Prosecution to provide critical evidence of the Prosecution’s forensic witness to Michael’s defense counsel; 2) The Military Prosecutor’s reversible error of making false assertions of fact and interjecting her personal opinion in closing arguments; 3) The military judge’s improper instruction limiting Michael’s right to self-defense;...

Veteran war cameraman, Jon Steele, spent four months with the fabled Baker Company of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, as they “surged” into the notoriously dangerous Salman Pak region of Iraq to set up a combat outpost. Casualties were expected to be as high as 50%. (Incredibly there were none in this operation!) If you can get HDTV Net (FIOS, Direct TV and maybe some cable providers), I urge you to watch this compelling four part documentary. You’ll never feel closer to our troops or more proud of them. It is being presented in four 1 hour segments at...

A conservative friend observed that although he regularly phones, writes, and emails his senators and congressmen, his wife never does. I ditto'd that. He wondered if, when one partner is the activist, we conservatives shouldn't make a concerted effort to get our partners to send an email, sign a letter or make a phone call. It might help to know they are very unlikely to be drawn into a debate in such a call. Is this already standard practice? What do you think?

“TEA” in Tea Parties has been interpreted as standing for “Taxed Enough Already.” This is catchy and a clever linkage to the original Boston Tea Party. However it is such a narrow acronym that it seriously understates the scope of the current protest movement and lends credence to the left’s assertion that Tea Party protestors are just greedy rich people afraid they’ll have to pay a little more in taxes. The hundreds of thousands who are involved in today’s Tea Party movement are well informed Americans, deeply concerned about a host of issues beyond taxes: national security, socialization, corruption, voter...

The Act of Rebalancing Is About To Get Real Nasty For Export-Model And Oil Exporter Countries … My outlook for 2009 is this: The U.S. economy could get a lot uglier. But the pain of rebalancing will be even more severe in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. And it will hit those economies a whole lot harder than is now priced into the market. _ In short, the U.S. isn't recycling excess savings from China and oil exporters any longer because China's exports and oil prices have plummeted._ U.S. consumers are starting to save again. And this has reduced spending...