27 replies to this topic

[policematrix]

A US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in two rampages last year will plead guilty to avoid the death penalty, his lawyers say.

Staff Sgt Robert Bales will make the plea in a hearing on 5 June.

He left a US outpost in Kandahar province in the early hours of 11 March 2012, attacking two villages nearby. Most victims were women and children.

Family members of those killed told the Associated Press news agency they were outraged he might not die.

"For this one thing, we would kill 100 American soldiers," said Mohammed Wazir, who had 11 family members killed, including his mother and two-year-old daughter.

"A prison sentence doesn't mean anything," Said Jan, whose wife and three other relatives died in the massacre, told AP. "I know we have no power now. But I will become stronger, and if he does not hang, I will have my revenge."

 

Defence lawyer John Henry Browne: "He's very relieved that the death penalty is not on the table"

Sgt Bales's lawyers say he is contrite about the killings, but would not discuss the details of what the soldier plans to say to the judge at the hearing.

Lawyer John Henry Browne described Sgt Bales as "crazed" and "broken" on the night of the attack.

The judge, as well as the commander of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where Sgt Bales is being tried, must approve any plea deal. A military jury would then decide if a life prison term for Sgt Bales would include the possibility of parole.

At the time of the attack, Bales was serving his fourth tour of duty and had been drinking alcohol and snorting Valium.

In addition to the 16 murdered, six Afghans were injured.

Seventeen victims were women or children, and many of them were shot in the head. Some of the bodies were piled up and burned.

Sgt Bales' defence team said they had determined the soldier would not be able to prove any claim of insanity or diminished capacity.

While prosecutors originally said they would seek the death penalty, no US service member has been executed in more than 50 years.

 

Disgusting imo and what's worst is i didn't see anything on the news about this , just shows how biased the paparazzi is 

[bri365]

 

 

Disgusting imo and what's worst is i didn't see anything on the news about this , just shows how biased the paparazzi is 

 

http://www.telegraph...th-penalty.html

 

http://www.dailymail...ng-rampage.html

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk...d-asia-17330205

 

http://www.guardian....fghan-civilians

 

http://www.nytimes.c...wanted=all&_r=0

 

Try using google. Plenty of press coverage.

[Bencrest]

A US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in two rampages last year will plead guilty to avoid the death penalty, his lawyers say.

Staff Sgt Robert Bales will make the plea in a hearing on 5 June.

He left a US outpost in Kandahar province in the early hours of 11 March 2012, attacking two villages nearby. Most victims were women and children.

 

Disgusting imo and what's worst is i didn't see anything on the news about this , just shows how biased the paparazzi is 

 

... or the fact it happened 15 months ago? The only 'news' today is the fact that he apparently plans on pleading guilty to get a lighter sentence, which isn't really news. When he's actually back in court it'll be back on national news.

Edited by Bencrest, 30 May 2013 - 12:04 PM.

[policematrix]

my thoughts are with the innocent peoples families and friends , made me sick reading this  

[nails]

are you a muslim ?

 

 

its just a curiosity question and wouldn't alter anything, though I must say in comparison from the woolwich murder (to which you didn't give a toss over a british soldier being executed in public) you show a lot of sympathy for the afghans?

 

for the record I agree with you; if the story is true and did what he did that its aweful and feel for their families.

[policematrix]

are you a muslim ?

 

 

its just a curiosity question and wouldn't alter anything, though I must say in comparison from the woolwich murder (to which you didn't give a toss over a british soldier being executed in public) you show a lot of sympathy for the afghans?

 

for the record I agree with you; if the story is true and did what he did that its aweful and feel for their families.

nope im the walking dead (no religious beliefs) , it just angers me when say a christian does some horrific event and everyone says oh hes lost the plot nothing to do with religion , then a muslim kills 1 person (a soldier) and everyone says the muslims must go (social media etc) now im not comparing both events and like ive said before, any killing in my eyes is wrong , i just want people to realise are press is very biased they never called the IRA radicalised christians did they , and only when a "muslim" attacks do they write headlines like muslim terrorists they never called the IRA christian terrorists .

Now again i have no reason to defend muslims above any other religion i dont believe in but from a bystander's point of view they get a very hard time in the press and the likes , 

look at the recent "terror attack" well was it even terrorism ? the definition is deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-combatants (civilians) ​but he was a soldier so technically no terrorism , it happens in iraq all the time and we dont say they are terrorists , no mention of the guy being a terrorist in the article above   ovc not , and within seconds of the story people saying stuff like we need to get these immigrant muslims out ?_? 

I like others here have not read or bought a paper in years and im starting to doubt the integrity of BBC news or to put it a different way they focus on certain stories and let others slide away silently , jimmy saville anyone ? 

It just seems to me the press and gov don't like the idea of muslims in general and we" are going the same way thanks to constant persuasions and peer pressures to "follow the leader" and "dont ask questions about the war or you dont support the troops" I remember a time when people were in uproar about this unjustified war  now we just sit tight and accept our countries heinous actions abroad and we are all shocked when they attack back ?

and guys this is just my opinion 

[nails]

i'd hardly say im walking dead but would however go on to say I was raised Christian in the church of England, however im really a non believer. watching the zeitguest video about jesus Christ merely cements my thoughts.

 

  skip forward to 09:45, watch for 20 odd minutes and be absorbed..

 

I think in our society, given its flaws, we are very lucky indeed. no car bombs no land mines or IED's, no overthrown governments or dictators - the list goes on. Ive always thought that we (the united kingdom and every other nation that formed the side known as the allies) were the good guys. its something you learn when your young via history lessons, tv etc.  Im not going to sit here and slag our great country but I would say I see various governments (lets use USA as an example) blinkering the public from the truth. while im here id say beyond a shadow of doubt the the 9-11 attacks were orchestrated, I cant say it was the united stated government per se, but it was IMHO in house, and enough public backing was formed to warrant the attacks on the `enemy`

 

as for us, I think were too lax anyway with immigration controls, anybody can come in, bring your family and we will provide - so lets not say the british government is bias there, tough I would go on to say we are puppets on strings as far as the war against terrorism goes. (along wit france Germany Belgium etc etc).

 

I`ll stop right there as im sure there are many views and feedback from what ive said, BUT I WILL NEVER STOP SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS. no such thing as a bad student, its a bad teacher...

[bri365]

Disgusting imo and what's worst is i didn't see anything on the news about this , just shows how biased the paparazzi is 

 

For your information, paparazzi are not the press. Read on.

Paparazzi /pɑːpəˈrɑːtsi/, /pæpəˈrætsi/ (singular: (m) paparazzo Italian: [papaˈrattso] or (f) paparazza) are photographers who take pictures of athletes, celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people usually while they are going about normal life routines. Paparazzi tend to be independent contractors, unaffiliated with any mainstream media organization and pictures take are usually done so by opportunity. ^[1]

[Zoltar]

I think in our society, given its flaws, we are very lucky indeed. no car bombs no land mines or IED's, no overthrown governments or dictators - the list goes on. Ive always thought that we (the united kingdom and every other nation that formed the side known as the allies) were the good guys. its something you learn when your young via history lessons, tv etc.  Im not going to sit here and slag our great country but I would say I see various governments (lets use USA as an example) blinkering the public from the truth. while im here id say beyond a shadow of doubt the the 9-11 attacks were orchestrated, I cant say it was the united stated government per se, but it was IMHO in house, and enough public backing was formed to warrant the attacks on the `enemy`

 

as for us, I think were too lax anyway with immigration controls, anybody can come in, bring your family and we will provide - so lets not say the british government is bias there, tough I would go on to say we are puppets on strings as far as the war against terrorism goes. (along wit france Germany Belgium etc etc).

 

I`ll stop right there as im sure there are many views and feedback from what ive said, BUT I WILL NEVER STOP SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS. no such thing as a bad student, its a bad teacher...

 

It's OK saying 'we are the good guys'. But we, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, we have our own dark moments in time. Our own atrocities in history we aren't proud of. We sit here and decide we are good, and everyone else is bad. Yet half the world form opinions about the west because of how we operate. our beliefs, our society as a whole. Whilst half the world starves, we have Adam Rickman scoffing a 10lb burger and wasting half of it in Man v Food. As entertaining as it is, and I love the program, the moral issue is a little uncomfortable knowing we in the west have more food than sense, and half the world starves. When thousands of children die in agony because they have drunk water contaminated by someone elses cholera filled turd that has floated down stream whilst we flush our bogs and water our lawns with clean life saving water. And what about Oxfam, stating that if the top 10 richest people on earth gave just 10% of their earnings in just thye last 12 months, poverty and starvation the world over would be eradicated.

 

 In short, us humans, we are a fantastic race. Capable of so much. We really do have potential to be something awesome. But we are also an evil, heartless unforgiving and unsympathetic race that values profit over all else. Our cats, dogs and rodent pets are more highly regarded than our brothers, our fellow humans just 5000 miles away.

 

 Now ask yourself.... If you were in Africa, starving, your kids dying in agony, would you look up to the west and begin to hope?

[Daryl]

 
It's OK saying 'we are the good guys'. But we, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, we have our own dark moments in time. Our own atrocities in history we aren't proud of. We sit here and decide we are good, and everyone else is bad. Yet half the world form opinions about the west because of how we operate. our beliefs, our society as a whole. Whilst half the world starves, we have Adam Rickman scoffing a 10lb burger and wasting half of it in Man v Food. As entertaining as it is, and I love the program, the moral issue is a little uncomfortable knowing we in the west have more food than sense, and half the world starves. When thousands of children die in agony because they have drunk water contaminated by someone elses cholera filled turd that has floated down stream whilst we flush our bogs and water our lawns with clean life saving water. And what about Oxfam, stating that if the top 10 richest people on earth gave just 10% of their earnings in just thye last 12 months, poverty and starvation the world over would be eradicated.
 
 In short, us humans, we are a fantastic race. Capable of so much. We really do have potential to be something awesome. But we are also an evil, heartless unforgiving and unsympathetic race that values profit over all else. Our cats, dogs and rodent pets are more highly regarded than our brothers, our fellow humans just 5000 miles away.
 
 Now ask yourself.... If you were in Africa, starving, your kids dying in agony, would you look up to the west and begin to hope?

I agree with everything you've written mate... it is accurate and true - but it cannot justify murder, not in any way, shape or form.

I know you haven't written it in your unique way either to even suggest it, but what I am getting at is that in fact, all animal species have this instinct, not just homo-sapiens

Would you see a lion pride sharing their catch with another pride because they were starving? Would you see an alligator 'share' an antelope's leg with another, even if that alligator/crocodile (whatever species you want to call them, I get mixed up ) was starving?

The answer is NO I'm afraid Zoltar mate - because the instinct to survive, even though it just looks financially orientated here in the West compared to those poorer third world countries, is just nature in its natural course.

I know that sounds cruel and heartless, but it is totally logical in evolution... why some of the same species may have abundance in their means to survive - they will never share this with the same species that may be starving elsewhere, and sadly, we humans are part of that evolution - it is the same for all types of life on this Earth.

[bri365]

Why is religion and peoples religious beliefs the starter of many a war or act of terror?

 

Why when the Vatican is one of the richest nations on this planet, do they expect the common man to give their wealth to feed the starving. Why don't they sell their riches and do themselves. Wasn't it the missionary's who went to Africa etc and turned them all to Christ and Christianity, doing god's work?

 

Why if there is one god, are their so many different religions?

[bri365]

No, I would ask where is my share of Africa's 45% share of the £52,000,000,000 in aid from Western countries in 2011 alone. I would also ask why, when enough food is available in my OWN continent, am I starving and why don't Oxfam import food rather than buy it locally.

bj

 

You hit the nail on the head, nice one.

[policematrix]

So what exactly are you bleating about this time?

The fact it is an American, he was high on drugs and booze at the time, the fact he murdered so many people, the fact that so many of the victims were are women and children, the fact the family will murder 100 American soldiers as revenge, the fact he is pleading guilty to a crime he is guilty of or the fact he is not being sentenced to death?

bj

the fact it was an american didnt bother anyone in the boston bombings

what does him being "high" have to do with anything ?

yes he murdered lots of innocent people this is otherwise known as terrorism

yes again he killed women and children not soldiers ****ing disgusting

and again yes he won't be facing a death sentence to killing kids , and you have to ask ???

imagine a muslim did this in britain then ask the same questions   

[bri365]

the fact it was an american didnt bother anyone in the boston bombings

what does him being "high" have to do with anything ?

yes he murdered lots of innocent people this is otherwise known as terrorism

yes again he killed women and children not soldiers ****ing disgusting

and again yes he won't be facing a death sentence to killing kids , and you have to ask ???

imagine a muslim did this in britain then ask the same questions   

Lets try to break down your feeble argument.

1.the fact it was an American didn't bother anyone in the Boston bombings. I'll think you will find that the Boston bombers were not American, They were  Chechen immigrants.

2. what does him being "high" have to do with anything ? Being high may have caused hallucinations making him not aware of what he was doing.

3. imagine a Muslim did this in Britain then ask the same questions. If a Muslim did this in Britain, there would be anger from people, but they anger would have to be supressed so as to not upset the Muslim community. The person concerned would not face the death penalty as we don't have that in this country, instead he would have the finest lawyers in the land fighting his corner, paid for by legal aid. He would then be given a heavy prison sentence for which he will have three meals a days and all paid for by our taxes.

 

What this soldier did was wrong, there is no excuse for that, but you fail to see that Taliban forces are doing this on a daily basis to their own people. Your views are bigoted and have no real grounds to stand on. You come across as a bit of a twat really. 

[policematrix]

blah blah  

1 ok i meant the victims were american 

2 maybe that guy in woolwich was high ? if so it was ok ?

3 so you agree people would want revenge , oh and i meant america sorry about that was a little inebriated 

4 personal attack as always 

and like i said its not an argument its a discussion with differing opinions , and we all know if you loose a discussion or put another way make a **** of yourself you ask for the thread to be closed 

Edited by policematrix, 01 June 2013 - 06:54 AM.

[nails]

valid point from all parties. not my thread but could I ask this discussion to be closed? otherwise it will go round and round with no victor.

[bri365]

policematrix where in this thread have I asked for it to be closed?