Muslim Army chaplain's hearing abruptly suspended (for 40 days)

[Newsjock]

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/7453503.htm

BY CAROL ROSENBERG
Knight Ridder Newspapers

FORT BENNING, Ga. (KRT) -- The Army on Tuesday suspended for 40 days a hearing on allegations that a Muslim chaplain mishandled secret information from the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after army prosecutors conceded that specialists had not yet determined what information the chaplain had that was restricted.

Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller ordered Capt. James "Youseff" Yee's Article 32 hearing here suspended until Jan. 19, to give time for a "full classification review of the documents," chief prosecutor Lt. Col. Mike Mulligan announced.

Yee's defense counsel Eugene Fidell slammed as "a cynical ploy" the Army's decision to convene the hearing and air evidence of the two smallest violations against -- that he had engaged in an adulterous affair and that he had stored pornography on his government-issue computer -- before prosecutors conceded that the meat of the trial, the classified portion, was not ready.

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[La_Serpiente]

1. Shameful. Simply Shameful

The US Government should be ashamed of itself.

[JailBush]

2. What amazes me is these people's stupidity.

Yee belongs to that class of the accused who get two trials - one official, the other in the media. The White House has completely blown the media trial. It almost seems as if they WANT the public to see through their lies, blunders and petty vendettas.

I've been working on biographies of contemporary Washington State heroes, and I'm thinking of adding Yee. I'd like to know more details first, but he certainly fits the profile of man who doesn't fit in because he has a spine.

[POed_Ex_Repub]

3. I'm no law expert...

But I'm pretty sure you should have your evidence BEFORE you charge somebody. This is just ridiculous..

[AndyTiedye]

4. The Evidence Manufacturing Line Is Backed Up Due to Heavy Demand

[proud patriot]

5. Welcome Underground POed_Ex_Repub

:hi:

[PsychoDad]

6. I think the media and people...

Are more interested in this than they expected. They hoped to steamroll this.

Now they need some evidence for their kangaroo court.
Must manufacture evidence...

[teryang]

7. Sounds like a speedy trial violation to me

If it has already been three months and the government is imposing a forty day delay, this case could be completely dismissed.

The charges are typical. The government always charges soldiers with a bunch of felonies and then adds a bunch of trivial charges (that happen to carry serious penalties in the military) that are not common law crimes in the event that they cannot prove their case in chief. We used to call the lesser charges "the kicker." Adultery and other minor derelictions such as using a phone or car for personal use are typical of these crimes. It reflects command influence, the desire of the command or the prosecutors to avoid political embarrassment. The gist of this kind of charge is that the accused is a "bad character." When a case gets public attention it is seen for exactly what it is, a mud slinging kind of prosecution.

[UpInArms]

8. but the "memo" read

that "adultery" was a criminal offense - after all that was what they used to impeach a sitting president!

I certainly hope he didn't "lie" to his wife about this "affair"!

Then he could be prosecuted for "perjury".

/sarcasm (I think)

[truthisfreedom]

9. i can just picture the pornography this chaplain had on his computer.

mother Mary nursing baby Jesus. until two weeks ago, taboo in Burger King.