This weekend, we’re coming together, as one nation, to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. We’re remembering the lives we lost—nearly 3,000 innocent men, women and children. We’re reaffirming our commitment to always keep faith with their families.

We’re honoring the heroism of first responders who risked their lives—and gave their lives—to save others. And we’re giving thanks to all who serve on our behalf, especially our troops and military families—our extraordinary 9/11 Generation.

At the same time, even as we reflect on a difficult decade, we must look forward, to the future we will build together. That includes staying strong and confident in the face of any threat. And thanks to the tireless efforts of our military personnel and our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security professionals—there should be no doubt. Today, America is stronger and al Qaeda is on the path to defeat.

We’ve taken the fight to al Qaeda like never before. Over the past two and a half years, more senior al Qaeda leaders have been eliminated than at any time since 9/11. And thanks to the remarkable courage and precision of our forces, we finally delivered justice to Osama bin Laden.

We’ve strengthened the partnerships and tools we need to prevail in this war against al Qaeda—working closer with allies and partners; reforming intelligence to better detect and disrupt plots; investing in our Special Forces so terrorists have no safe haven.

We’re constantly working to improve the security of our homeland as well—at our airports, ports and borders; enhancing aviation security and screening; increasing support for our first responders; and working closer than ever with states, cities and communities.

A decade after 9/11, it’s clear for all the world to see—the terrorists who attacked us that September morning are no match for the character of our people, the resilience of our nation, or the endurance of our values.

They wanted to terrorize us, but, as Americans, we refuse to live in fear. Yes we face a determined foe, and make no mistake—they will keep trying to hit us again. But as we are showing again this weekend, we remain vigilant. We’re doing everything in our power to protect our people. And no matter what comes our way, as a resilient nation, we will carry on.

They wanted to draw us in to endless wars, sapping our strength and confidence as a nation. But even as we put relentless pressure on al Qaeda, we’re ending the war in Iraq and beginning to bring our troops home from Afghanistan. Because after a hard decade of war, it is time for nation building here at home.

They wanted to deprive us of the unity that defines us as a people. But we will not succumb to division or suspicion. We are Americans, and we are stronger and safer when we stay true to the values, freedoms and diversity that make us unique among nations.

And they wanted to undermine our place in the world. But a decade later, we’ve shown that America doesn’t hunker down and hide behind walls of mistrust. We’ve forged new partnerships with nations around the world to meet the global challenges that no nation can face alone. And across the Middle East and North Africa a new generation of citizens is showing that the future belongs to those that want to build, not destroy.

Ten years ago, ordinary Americans showed us the true meaning of courage when they rushed up those stairwells, into those flames, into that cockpit. In the decade since, a new generation has stepped forward to serve and keep us safe. In their memory, in their name, we will never waver. We will protect the country we love and pass it safer, stronger and more prosperous to the next generation.

Well said, Mr. President, well said.

Memorial Day signifies and celebrates America’s valiant warriors of today and yesterday. Our nation’s pride is mixed with pain as we pay tribute to America’s finest. Honoring our lost and wounded, that fought for our freedoms in all wars, is every citizen’s duty. Chance meetings with members of our military, followed by a firm handshake and heartfelt gratitude, fall shy of our deepest appreciation for their sacrifice. So, again I share a passing encounter with a young Marine who was faceless in an airport crowd, but now remains imbedded in both mind and heart.

During a long layover at an airport, dozens of Marines flowed through the crowds. One settled into a seat directly across from me. We struck up a conversation. Strong and sturdy, with an even gaze, this Marine told me how he became a man. The product of the grand mixture that is the proud heritage of America’s melting pot, he spoke of his Anglo dad and Hispanic mother. Sitting before me, he was that day an all-American of our finest caliber. His story revealed, however, that had not always been the case. He spoke of how his teen years were filled with truancy and drugs and being kicked out of the house by a strong and loving Mom and what he called an “old school” Dad whose discipline he now understands. Facing nothing but dead ends for months, he soon turned eighteen. After three days with no food, he had had enough. He sought out a Marine recruitment office and signed the dotted line. His sketchy background fell short of Marine Corps standards, yet the recruiter saw something in him and made an exception. Like a snake shedding its useless skin, his old life was soon to be left behind.

What happened next still astonishes him. Within four months after enlisting, he said, “I became a man.” Both wonder and frankness filled his voice at how the Corps transformed his life, his purpose, his duty, and his manhood. Four months, he said in disbelief at how quickly his attitude and life had changed for the better. In order to deploy, the Corps required him to get a GED. He said he was humbled to wear the uniform. I was honored to hear his story. Sitting there, he embodied our valiant sons and daughters, cousins, grandchildren and brothers and sisters. As he sat there ready to return to battle, I promised him that we would do our job to provide support for our valiant military and to sustain America and the Constitution as we know it so that they will have something to come home to. He nodded and said he’d appreciate that. He then said, “You know, when I made my first visit home, Dad came up to me, shook my hand and told me he loved me. He had never done that before.” He spoke of friends who are his age of 21 and still prowling the streets and living the life he left behind. Today, he reaches out to them while on leave. He offers them gas money to drive to interviews for a job or to an enlistment office. Some comment that he thinks he is better that they are and he answers them -”Yes, I am.” I nodded in agreement, “Yes, you are.” You were once them,” I tell him. “Now, they can step-up and be a man like you.”

It is young men and women, such as these from all walks of life, that take on the duty, burden, and honor to defend our freedoms and way of life. It is American blood that flows through their veins and it is the loss of American blood and their lives that we honor. We salute all branches of our military that stand between us and the enemy that seeks America’s destruction. They deserve and must have the best support of America’s citizens and its government.

Those in Congress or the White House, who withhold funding of our military as a bargaining tool to gain political advantage, must be exposed and expunged. It is every American’s duty to clean house of politicians who treat the U.S. military as a political pawn. Recall the valiant young Marine in the airport. We speak of expending our nation’s blood and treasure in war, but let us never forget that in regard to all who serve – their blood is our treasure.

There has however been no mass mobilization since WWII. The wars these days tend to be fought as just another budget item with only the professional military involved. The population generally have no experience of war and little acquaintance with military men. The countries concerned just live on in peace and prosperity. This has produced something of a paradox. The people at large of the world’s most “warlike” countries know little of war or of military matters.

In the circumstances, there seems to have developed — particularly on the political Left — a quite warped view of the military and often a real contempt for the military. In a patriotic country like America, that contempt has to be mostly veiled but observers of the Left will be familiar with such attitudes anyway. Because of the British tradition of emotional restraint, however, overt expressions of patriotism are rare in Britain and Australia so the Left there are more vocal in making known their attitude to the military.

So the combination of no experience with the military and Leftist contempt for military men does seem to have led to a fairly widespread lack of understanding of what military men are like and how the military functions. And as a former army psychologist, I think I might be in a position to make a few points that may dispel some of those misunderstandings.

* A very common misunderstanding is that military men are dumb. That is far from the case. The military handle some very dangerous gear so a dummy would be more of a danger to his buddies than to the enemy. For that reason all Western armies select on intellectual grounds: You have to have an above average IQ to be a soldier. And in the more specialist jobs (officers generally, special forces, etc.), the intellectual requirement is quite high. So it is quite right to refer to the “profession” of arms. It needs training, knowledge, dedication and ability comparable to many other professions.

* Another incomprehension that seems particularly common on the left is why on earth would anybody take a job where he might get shot at? That seems like a very bad deal to most Leftists and may be part of the reason why military men are overwhelmingly conservative. Guerilla war where they can shoot others from cover (as in various “revolutions” — such as Castro’s) seems OK to Leftists but they generally haven’t got the stomach for regular military service.

So why DO military men put themselves in harm’s way? The answer quite simply is that they are real men. They have inherited a strong dose of the characteristics that enabled men to survive in “caveman” times. Life was a very risky business for us for most of our evolutionary past and men who did not enjoy risks and challenges just did not survive. Military men actually ENJOY putting themselves to the test. They LIKE doing difficult and dangerous things. Sadly, the army often disappoints them. Even if there is a war on, most of your time is spent waiting around. But the army does a lot of training and sport and there is always the prospect of action. So in every army, the men are always keen to get to “the front” — where the action is and where they might get shot at! I was one of them many years ago. The Vietnam war was on at the time and I volunteered for a posting there.

A little story might help illustrate all that. During the Vietnam war, Australia had conscription and it was largely conscripts who were sent to the front. What is not generally known however is that conscripts were not usually sent to the front unwillingly. Anybody who did not want to go was discharged as “medically” unfit or was given the chance of volunteering for work in (say) a BOD (Base Ordnance Depot — a military warehouse). But given the option of spending two boring years in a BOD back in Australia and going to Vietnam, close to 100% of the conscripts chose Vietnam. Men like excitement and Vietnam offered that, even if it was dangerous.

* Another myth much beloved of Leftist psychologists is that army men are some sort of “robot”. They are all the same and just obey orders like machines. The old Prussian expression that a soldier should be “Kadaver gehorsam” (show corpselike obedience) helped establish that myth. And it does have a germ of truth. Take a look at the picture below. It is easy to see a march of robots there, is it not?

It is in fact a parade of cadets at Sandhurst, Britain’s equivalent of West Point. So all the men there are in fact highly skilled soldiers with the equivalent of a university degree who will go on to positions of leadership throughout the British army and later on lead in British life generally. Far from being robots they are an elite.

So learning to work together and take orders is certainly a part of military life but it says nothing about the character of the men involved. The fact that the army has to train its men very heavily in order to get them to that state of readiness should speak for itself. It does not come naturally. Military men are very much individuals. And when you are in the army, you get to know what individuals your fellow unit members are and come to value them accordingly. For that reason, military men feel great grief at the loss of anyone in their unit — as you will hear any time you ask them about their wartime experiences — and in later life you never walk past a member of your old army unit in the street without stopping to chat. Fellow members of your unit become very special friends. You don’t of course get on equally well with them all but you usually respect them all.

So I hope that goes a little way towards showing how wrong are simplistic judgments of the military and of military men.

Perhaps I should close on a rather provocative note: You could think that women would not be attracted to military men. The men are often away on deployment and may come home in a body bag. What sort of a deal is that for a woman? Yet as you always see, when the men come home from deployment, most have wives and girlfriends waiting eagerly to see their men again. How come? Easy: As I have pointed out above, military men are real men and real women like real men.

Take as an example the Australian soldier below. He is clearly a family man and may look undistinguished to some. But Ben Roberts-Smith is a man of exceptional intelligence, daring and courage. For his actions in Afghanistan he was recently awarded the Victoria Cross, which is as high an award for valour as there is. It is very rarely awarded. You can read his story here and here. He could join the officer corps any time he applied but he chooses to serve as a corporal leading a small detachment of Special Forces. Why? Because that is where the action is. We can be proud that the English-speaking nations still produce men like him — JR

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.). For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. To keep up with attacks on free speech see TONGUE-TIED. Also, don’t forget your daily roundup of pro-environment but anti-Greenie news and commentary at GREENIE WATCH . Email me here

Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss, helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries. Technology supplied includes:

• Voice-controlled Laptops – Operated by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, they allow the wounded to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery
• Wii Video Game Systems – Whole-body game systems increase motivation and speed recovery when used under the guidance of physical therapists in therapy sessions (donated only to medical facilities).
• Personal GPS – Handheld GPS devices build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD.

This year, I am joining a great group, led by Carrie at Villainous Company and Cassy at Cassy Fiano, in supporting the Marines. Our brave military folks can be wounded in service, and this is the time we can give back for their honor. Giving back. Yes, that is something that Neal Boortz rants about, usually rightly. In this situation, these wounded warriors have given so much to protect America and our way of life, so, yes, this is a great way we can give back. So join up. Choose a branch of service to support. If you want to go Marines, contact Cassy, Carrie, or me, and I’ll pass it on (make sure to remove the NOSPAM from the email address in the top bar under the header.) Or, Tweet me. Whatever. Join in!

Go Team Marines!

As Memorial Day signifies and celebrates our valiant warriors of today and yesterday, the news reports of the loss of American lives in the Afghanistan war has reached a marker of 1000. One life lost or the countless more in this and former wars, America’s pain is mixed with honoring America’s finest who are at the forefront of every battle whether against terrorism or any enemy of the United States. It is the citizens duty to support these men and women, even if for just a brief encounter to shake a hand and offer our deeply felt gratitude. Again, allow me to share a passing encounter with a young Marine who was faceless in an airport crowd, but now remains imbedded in both mind and heart.

Recently, during a long layover at an airport, dozens of Marines flowed through the crowds. One settled into a seat directly across from me. We struck up a conversation. Strong and sturdy, with an even gaze, this Marine told me how he became a man. The product of the grand mixture that is the proud heritage of America’s melting pot, he was an all-American of our finest caliber sitting before me. He spoke of how his teen years were filled with truancy and drugs and being kicked out of the house by a strong and loving Mom and what he called an “old school” Dad whose discipline he now understands. Facing nothing but dead ends for months, he soon turned eighteen. After three days with no food, he had had enough. He sought out a Marine recruitment office, signed the dotted line and shipped out shortly thereafter. Like a snake shedding its useless skin, his old life was soon to be left behind.

He disclosed that what happened next still astonishes him, as he sat before me sharing his thoughts. Within four months after enlisting, he said, “I became a man.” Both wonder and frankness filled his voice at how the Corps transformed his life, his purpose, his duty and his manhood. Four months, he said – still in disbelief at how quickly his attitude and life had changed for the better. I was honored to hear his story. Sitting there, he embodied our valiant sons and daughters, cousins, grandchildren and brothers and sisters. As he sat there with his orders for deployment, I promised him that we would do our job to help provide the support necessary for our valiant military and to sustain America and the Constitution as we know it so that they will have something to come home to. He nodded and said he’d appreciate that. He then said, “You know, when I made my first visit home, Dad came up to me, shook my hand and told me he loved me. He had never done that before.” He spoke of friends who are his age of 21 and still prowling the streets and living the life he left behind. Today, he reaches out to them while on leave to improve their lives. He offers them gas money to drive to interviews for a job or to an enlistment office. Some comment that he thinks he is better that they are and he answers them -”Yes, I am.” I nodded in agreement, “Yes, you are.” You were once them,” I tell him. “Now they can step-up and be a man like you.”

As has always been the case, it is young men and women, such as these, that take on the duty, burden and honor to defend our freedoms and way of life. It is American blood that flows through their veins and it is the loss of American blood and their lives that we honor. It is those like him, in all branches of our military, who stand between us and the enemy that seeks America’s destruction. They deserve and must have the best support of America’s citizens and its government.

In a Congress that has seemingly lost its way and uses the funding of our military as a political tool or for political gain, shame should be on their heads. If the American voter does not clean house of those in government who treat the U.S. military as a political tool, then the shame lies with us as well. Recall the valiant young Marine in the airport. We speak of expending our nation’s blood and treasure in war, but let all of us never forget that in regard to all who serve – their blood is our treasure.

Sharon Sebastian (DarwinsRacists.com) is an author, writer and contributor for various forms of media including broadcast, print and online websites. Her second book, Darwin’s Racists – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, addresses the global “evolution vs. creation” debate highlighting both the impact of Social Darwinism on America’s culture today and its influence on current policy coming out of Washington. Website: DarwinsRacists.com)

California’s Democrats have forced the upcoming Captain America movie to be filmed in England. Why would that be, Buckey? Because it’s just too expensive to film the movie in California because of the Democrat’s punitive taxes.

For Yahoo Movies, Mike Ryan asks a seminal question: Should We Now Call Him ‘Captain England’? In his lament, Ryan worries over the U.S. film industry as movies and TV shows flee America, specifically California, for the cheaper production rates of Canada and England.

And now Democrats are so concerned with propping up union thugs, forcing themselves on the people at every avenue, and stealing as much money from the rest of us that they can that they’ve even chased Captain America away from America!

On one hand you have to cheer the fact that the Democrat’s criminal enterprise, their mob action with a union thug army under thumb, is about to come crashing down around them. Unfortunately, they are bringing the whole country down with them.

If the failure of Obamaism and Democrat socialism doesn’t convince America that smaller government is the way to go, we will never go back to being the United States of America as it should be and will permanently become the Euro States of America.

Not long ago I wrote how liberal comics writers were trying to turn Captain America from a patriotic American into a left-wing, un-American, traitor and now the new movie based on the character isn’t even being filmed in the US. Leftists truly hate good American heroes. But it isn’t just comic books the left is trying to re-write in their Euro-like image. Democrats and their left-wing cohorts are desperately trying to kill the USA itself. Captain America is only their latest victim.

A Virginia military jury found a Navy SEAL not guilty Thursday on all charges he punched an Iraqi suspected in the 2004 killings of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah.

“I’m really happy right now,” Matthew McCabe, the Navy SEAL, told Fox News shortly after hearing the outcome of the court martial. “It’s an amazing feeling. I’m on cloud nine right now.”

McCabe, a special operations petty officer second class, called the proceedings “troubling at times,” adding “having your career on the line is not an easy thing to handle.

McCabe was the third and final Navy SEAL to be prosecuted in the case. He had faced charges of assault, making a false official statement and dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee. McCabe was accused of punching last year is Ahmed Hashim Abed, the suspected mastermind of the grisly killings six years ago.

After the court martial, the 24-year-old from Perrysburg, Ohio, thanked the public for its continued support.

“It’s been great everything they’ve done,” he told Fox News. “But, don’t worry about it anymore. We are putting this all behind us. It’s done and over with. I’m going to try not to think about this ever again.”

… The defense called an oral surgeon Thursday who testified by phone from Baghdad. He said Abed might have bitten an ulcer on his lip, causing it to bleed. Defense attorneys hope this validates their position that no assault occurred and that Al Qaeda detainees are trained to injure themselves then claim abuse.

This makes it SEALS 3, Department of Defense, 0. Considering the flimsy evidence the prosecution had, it seems like charges should never have even been brought against these three heroes. Abed was one of our most wanted terrorists, and the alleged mastermind of the brutal and horrifying Blackwater murders in Iraq. As I’ve said before, I can’t figure out if Abed’s claims of abuse were actually investigated or if they just took them at face value. It sure as heck seems like there wasn’t any investigation whatsoever before charges were brought.

Thank God justice was served and these three heroes can go on without fear of their careers being ruined. We’re lucky to have such men willing to fight for our country, even when their heroics were rewarded so poorly.

Cross-posted from Cassy’s blog. Stop by for more original commentary, or follow her on Twitter!

During opening statements Tuesday in Petty Officer Matthew McCabe’s court martial, defense attorney Neal Puckett stated that an oral surgeon would testify that injuries to Ahmed Hashim Abed, suspected mastermind behind the brutal murders of four civilian security guards in Fallujah in 2004, could have been self inflicted.

Puckett also made reference to the “Manchester Manuel” also known as the al Qaeda training manual, in which as HUMAN EVENTS has previously reported directs captured terrorists to complain of torture and self-inflict injuries on themselves.

Puckett asked the members of the jury to remind themselves of specific questions after they see the evidence and deliberate. “How was the detainee treated when he was captured?” asked Puckett. “What does the medical screening completed after show? When were photos taken?”

… The defense has said that the accuracy of the translations will be taken up later in the trial. Defense attorney Haytham Faraj, who speaks fluent Arabic, believes the translator did not repeat Abed’s exact answer in many questions.

Abed’s testimony remained the same as what has been reported in the cases of Petty Officers Huertas and Keefe, that he was taken from his home, blindfolded, handcuffed and placed in a helicopter.

Abed says when they landed an American took him into a room. “They started hitting me on my shoulders and my back… I don’t know who did it but it was on my shoulders and my back,” said Abed. “Then he hit me on my stomach with his foot, hard, and I fell to the floor.”

All of this, with absolutely no photographic evidence of any bruising or injuries besides a fat lip.

The prosecution’s star witness, Petty Officer Kevin DeMartino, was also caught lying. He testified he saw blood dribbling down Abed’s chin — which the medic flatly denies. His own superiors also said that DeMartino was untrustworthy and often lied.

The prosecution’s key witness, Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin DeMartino, testified Wednesday that he saw McCabe deliver a right cross to Abed’s midsection.

“It was a right-cross. He punched him in the stomach,” DeMartino said at the trial. The detainee “let out a gasp of air” and fell to the floor, he said.

DeMartino, who was responsible for guarding Abed, acknowledged that he failed to do his job properly. He also admitted that he initially denied any knowledge of what happened, but said his conscience finally overcame his desire to protect his friends.

“I had to either be in the good graces of the Navy SEALs or in the good graces of God,” he said.

He also said he saw several SEALs other than McCabe enter the small building where Abed was being held. He said he believed others participated in the assault.

“Man to man, I’ll tell you they went in there and did it,” DeMartino said, but he added that McCabe’s punch was the only one he saw.

DeMartino and the SEAL commander who led the operation to capture Abed both said there was no reason for SEALs to be in the holding area with the detainee. But a SEAL who testified for the defense said that it’s not prohibited and that he stopped by just to get a look at a high-profile detainee.

The defense attacked DeMartino’s credibility in questioning several witnesses, including some SEALs and intelligence officers who cannot be publicly identified, who contradicted portions of DeMartino’s testimony.

Most of those conflicts centered on conversations DeMartino claimed he had with the witnesses, who disputed his accounts. A medic also denied DeMartino’s claim that he wiped blood off Abed’s chin. The medic, who conducted the medical screening of Abed shortly after his capture, testified that he saw no blood and no other signs of trauma.

Navy Reserve member Paul Franco of New York, who supervised DeMartino, said he had “reservations about his truthfulness.” He said DeMartino would often say he had completed a task when he had not.

Some of the witnesses were given testimonial immunity, but one of them noted that he could still be prosecuted for lying under oath — something he said he would never do, even to protect a fellow SEAL.

These charges look more and more like a joke every day. The Department of Defense charged these SEALs based on nothing more than the word of a terrorist and a sailor who’s apparently had a history of lying. And this sailor, Kevin DeMartino (who should be ashamed of himself if he is in fact lying), is considered the prosecution’s star witness. Not the medics who examined Abed, but a sailor who has given seven conflicting statements and whose supervisor said often lied in the past. Not only did he give conflicting statements, but on the witness stand he testified he saw blood on Abed’s chin and that a medic wiped it away — and the medic then denied it!

I’m curious if the Department of Defense actually investigated the terrorist’s claims before charging these three men, or if they just automatically believed him and charged the SEALs. It sounds to me like they did nothing to verify that what Abed was saying was true. If they had, there’s no way these men would have been charged because this case is so flimsy.

The prosecution rested their case yesterday, and the defense will lay out their case for McCabe today. A verdict is expected to be reached tomorrow.

Cross-posted from Cassy’s blog. Stop by for more original commentary, or follow her on Twitter!

A military judge refused to dismiss charges against a Navy SEAL charged with assaulting an Iraqi terrorist, rejecting reports by the defense that improper pressure may have been put on Gen. Charles Cleveland who made the decision to prosecute.

Proceedings began Monday at Norfolk Naval Base for Petty Officer Matthew McCabe, the last of the three Navy SEALs facing courts martial for allegedly assaulting terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed, mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater security guards in Fallujah in 2004.

McCabe’s attorney’s Neal Puckett and Haytham Faraj filed a motion to dismiss the trial based on “unlawful command influence.”

Puckett and Faraj cited a segment on Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor” in which Geraldo Rivera quoted sources “very close” to Gen. Charles Cleveland saying he was pressured to continue with the trials despite public outrage and two not guilty verdicts in the cases of Petty Officers Keefe and Huertas.

The prosecution countered that there were not enough objective facts in the Fox News report to dismiss the trial.

Presiding Judge Capt. Moira Modzelewski rejected the motion, saying that Gen. Cleveland could not be held responsible for the continuation of the trial since McCabe was given the option of non-judicial punishment but chose a court martial instead.

If McCabe had accepted non-judicial punishment it would have been perceived as an admission of guilt and his military career would have been severely tarnished.

Citing translation inconsistencies, defense attorneys brought a second motion seeking a new transcript of Abed’s deposition that was taken in Baghdad and would constitute his testimony in McCabe’s trial. (Abed will not be at present in Norfolk).

Judge Modezelweski ruled that the prosecution must provide a new translator to listen to Abed’s audio testimony. The prosecution and defense seemed concerned that it could take more than 24 hours to find a credible translator.

Should the prosecutor find the translator, jury selection will begin Tuesday followed by opening statements. The trial was initially expected to last through Wednesday but due to the unexpected defense motions, it is possible that the trial could extend until Friday.

I have no doubt that Maj. Gen. Cleveland was pressured to bring charges, probably from someone in Obama’s cabinet. However, this was shoddy legal work. To use a segment on “The O’Reilly Factor” that said unnamed sources know he was pressured as grounds to dismiss the trial is ludicrous. Fox may be the most trustworthy of the cable news networks, but I hope Puckett has better legal tactics up his sleeve than this.

Hopefully, though, whatever jury is selected comes to the same verdict as in the Huertas and Keefe trials. It’s beyond doubt now that the prosecution has no case and flimsy evidence at best; to find McCabe guilty would be a travesty.

The fact that these three SEALs were charged at all just goes to show where we are as a country. Even if McCabe did punch Abed, so what?? Our soldiers hands are tied so severely by bureaucratic red tape that punching a terrorist deserves an NJP? They should have been rewarded for their good work, but look where they are. Middle school boys rough each other up worse than the supposed injuries (which are nowhere to be found on Abed’s body) the terrorist received.

They’re willing to cut our heads off and murder every last one of us in cold blood.

We, on the other hand, get squeamish about a meager punch to the stomach.

Cross-posted from Cassy’s blog. Stop by for more original commentary, or follow her on Twitter!

Matthew McCabe’s trial date is currently set to begin Monday, May 3, 2010 at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, VA. Just this past week in separate trials at Camp Victory in Iraq, SO1 Julio Huertas and SO2 Jonathan Keefe were both found not guilty of the military charges that were brought against them which included dereliction of duty and falsifying statements / impending(sic) an investigation.

Aside from the idiocy of bringing charges against these three men to begin with, I’m curious what the point of trying McCabe is now anyways. McCabe’s lawyer, Neal Puckett, filed for a dismissal of all charges; hopefully the judge, Maj. Gen. John Cleveland, will do so. Puckett is arguing that it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars to continue the trial against McCabe when the prosecution’s case has completely unraveled. With the previous two trials concluded, we now get to see the evidence the prosecution had against the three SEALs: the word of a terrorist and seven — yes, seven — conflicting statements from one sailor. The star witness is Abed himself, and what does that say to people? That the prosecution is willing to trust the word of a murderer who is likely using a tactic straight out of the Al Qaeda playbook over the words of three honorable Navy SEALs? Al Qaeda’s training manual instructs terrorists to do exactly what Abed is doing, claim torture and abuse. The Department of Defense is caving to the manipulation of our justice system, and the SEALs refused to let their good names be tarnished (thus the court martials). It was a risky move, but it paid off for the other two SEALs; hopefully, it will pay off for McCabe as well.

As for the other star witness, Petty Officer Kevin DeMartino, well… his testimony is questionable at best as well.

The other star witness was Petty Officer Kevin DeMartino, the master-at-arms at the base whose job it was to guard Abed. DeMartino testified he saw McCabe punch Abed in the gut — testimony McCabe denies.

But DeMartino gave differing statements to investigators. At least four other trial witnesses rebutted his versions. For example, DeMartino said a SEAL saw blood on Abed’s white dishdasha and helped him take it off. But the SEAL in question denied the incident ever happened.

“The combination of Abed the terrorist and Petty Officer DeMartino was not believed by the jury,” Puckett said.

Of DeMartino, he said, “I have eight witnesses who will completely rebut what DeMartino said. DeMartino says people did this and that. We have the people denying this …. He is also the individual solely responsible for Abed at all times, for safety of detainee, and we can prove he left his post.”

DeMartino acknowledged at Huertas trial that he at first lied to investigators, according to press reports of the trial.

“He’s what we call a completely impeached witness,” Puckett said.

So, we have a witness who is a terrorist and a witness who admitted he lied and left his post.

Seriously, someone remind me again why these three men were ever prosecuted to begin with. Unfortunately, Cleveland himself is the one who brought these charges against them. I wonder if he’ll be willing to back down.

As more details come out, I’ll keep you updated. Hopefully, McCabe will get justice as well.

Cross-posted from Cassy’s blog. Stop by for more original commentary, or follow her on Twitter!