Rush To Judgement

Once again, John Murtha is going on the talk shows. Once again he repeats his pronouncements about the Marine's guilt at Haditha. Once again people are reading media reports, ones which conflict, by the way, and assume they know the truth.

Once again, I caution that we do not know the truth. And we should not presuppose guilt or innocence based on newspaper accounts. Nobody should be doing this, especially members of the Congress.

Don't be believe me? Then read this letter from Ilario Pantano, a Marine once accused and tried for murder.

A marine who was found to be innocent of the charges.

A year ago I was charged with two counts of premeditated murder and with other war crimes related to my service in Iraq. My wife and mother sat in a Camp Lejeune courtroom for five days while prosecutors painted me as a monster; then autopsy evidence blew their case out of the water, and the Marine Corps dropped all charges against me ["Marine Officer Cleared in Killing of Two Iraqis," news story, May 27, 2005].

So I know something about rushing to judgment, which is why I am so disturbed by the remarks of Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) regarding the Haditha incident ["Death Toll Rises in Haditha Attack, GOP Leader Says," news story, May 20]. Mr. Murtha said, "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

Please shut up, John Murtha. Let the investigation proceed, let any resulting trial proceed if warranted. But shut up for now – please stop pre-judging.

Everyone stop trying to use this as a political football. The truth needs to come out in the proper way – in a way which grants anyone accused of a crime the rights to a fair trial they are entitled to. Give the Marines the same rights you expect and enjoy.

UPDATE: Others: Dan Riehl has a lot about Haditha, more than you'll ever hear in the MSM. Blackfive, Fuzzilicious Thinking, A Blog For All, Powerline and Samizdata.

UPDATE: I was just linked by another blog, A Newer World. I believe they mischaracterized my objection to John Murtha and told them so in their comments section. So, I invite anyone coming over here from A Newer World to go to the search bar, search "Murtha" and see if I have ever said that an investigation should NOT be conducted or that allegations of a coverup should not be investigated. My objection is, and will continue to be with no aplogies, to John Murtha and his wanton attacks on the rights of your fellow citizens to a fair trial. Not monsters, not machines, not animals wearing a uniform. Your fellow citizens. with every, single right you possess.   Do I think any allegation of a war crime should be investigated? Absolutely. Do I believe any crime should NOT go to trial if an investigation proves it is warranted? Hell no.

Other Links to this Post

1. A Blog For All — May 29, 2006 @ 7:30 am

2. All Things Beautiful — May 29, 2006 @ 11:46 am

3. A Newer World — May 29, 2006 @ 7:12 pm

4. reverse_vampyr — May 31, 2006 @ 2:35 pm