Self-serving decisions by Tweety Trump are destructive of everything he touches, all he surveys, even those who defend him!
When military discipline breaks down the military can and might go rogue. That is a bad thing for any country.
A rogue military is what leads countries to turmoil and failures, even coups by the military.
Allowing war crimes by US troops inspires our enemies to do the same to any American soldier.
"Trump issues pardons for 3 service members accused of war crimes"
By luis Martinez and elizabeth McLaughlin Nov 16, 2019, 7:22 AM ET
What criminals, THEY WERE CONVICTED, did Tweety pardon?
"Lorance had been serving 19 years in prison, according to the Army Times, after being convicted on two counts of second-degree murder for ordering a soldier to fire on unarmed Afghan motorcyclists in 2012.
Golsteyn is charged with the murder of an alleged Afghan bomb-maker in 2010.
And Gallagher, while acquitted of killing a wounded Islamic State captive earlier this year, was sentenced to four months of time served and a reduction in rank for posing with a corpse during a 2017 deployment to Iraq."
Tweety has the authority to pardon, he might actually be thinking these three deserve a "second chance" but over the years the military justice system has enabled military discipline thru effective and appropriate punishments. What Tweety is doing, as most of what he does, is FOR VOTES!
I HOPE VETERANS SEE THRU THIS FAKE CONCERN FOR JUSTICE.
"Trump issues pardons in war crimes cases, despite Pentagon opposition to the move"
By Dan Lamothe Reporter covering the Pentagon and the U.S. military
November 16 at 12:11 AM
"The news, first reported by The Washington Post ahead of the White House announcement, came at the tail end of a day dominated by impeachment hearings and efforts by some senior Pentagon officials to change Trump’s mind, according to three U.S. officials. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said some commanders have raised concerns that Trump’s move will undermine the military justice system."
Of course the military justice system is weakened!
"The Army said in a statement Friday night that it will implement the pardons of Golsteyn and Lorance, and acknowledged the president’s powers to grant pardons.
“The Army has full confidence in our system of justice,” the statement said. “The Uniform Code of Military Justice ensures good order and discipline for uniformed service members while holding accountable those who violate its provisions. The foundation of military law is the Constitution, and the Constitution establishes the President’s power to grant pardons.”"
OK, the military will obey Tweety's commands, BUT that does not mean they think he is right. The Pardons are a "lawful order," but not a wise one, in fact, it is a self-serving order.
OK, but were these three treated fairly? I think they were, but any good defense lawyer will argue they were not.
"In all three cases, advocates for the service members had criticized the Pentagon for its handling of their cases, detailing what they saw as questionable actions by prosecutors and investigators. Their cases have been featured frequently on conservative media, as advocates prepared cases for the president behind the scenes"
Really? So the military somehow, and for some unknown reason purposely mishandled the prosecution? Why? To what end? It's hard to believe the prosecutors were prejudiced against these three soldiers.
Other Presidents have issued pardons, but somehow the others seem different, like they were not looking for votes, like the pardons were not self-serving. Besides seeking votes, there is no doubt in my mind that Tweety Trump is trying to distract America from the impeachment hearings, and trying to make himself look like a wise, generous, and gentle man.
I guarantee you Tweety Trump will be bragging about these pardons shortly!
"In 2017, former president Barack Obama shortened a 35-year prison sentence for Chelsea Manning, the soldier who leaked a trove of classified information to WikiLeaks, to seven years.
In 1971, former president Richard Nixon intervened in the case of William L. Calley Jr., who was convicted of murdering 22 people in Vietnam and sentenced to life in prison. Nixon called for Calley to serve under house arrest at Fort Benning, Ga., instead of in prison at Fort Leavenworth. The soldier eventually saw his sentence reduced under appeal, and served 3½ years under house arrest."
The worst part of these ill advised pardons is Politicization of our military! Tweety Trump thinks he can win military support like a dictator would to stay in power!
"Trump’s pardon of two former Army officers has sparked new controversy. Here’s why."
Some ex-military are applauding Trump’s decision. Some are condemning it.
By Michael A. Robinson November 17, 2019 at 6:19 AM
This is a scary moment in Tweety Trump's Presidency as he continues to push against the norms of our government, and undercut what keeps us as a Republic.
"As many national security analysts and military veterans have noted, such pardons risk implicitly signaling that such actions are organizationally acceptable behavior. Similar concerns were expressed after the May pardoning of former Army officer Michael Behenna, convicted of similar misconduct during a 2008 deployment in Iraq. However, advocates for the pardons argue that military service members have been unduly constrained by organizational policies governing combat action. The resulting debate has drawn in a variety of voices on both sides.
Ex-military voices have been central in the decision — and the backlash
The pardons for Golsteyn and Lorance come at the end of several years of advocacy from prominent ex-military members of Congress and media personalities. The White House’s statement specifically mentioned Marine veteran and Rep. Duncan D. Hunter and former Army officer and “Fox and Friends” pundit Pete Hegseth. The list of past advocates for a pardon also includes ex-Navy SEAL and former interior secretary Ryan Zinke and retired Army lieutenant colonel and former congressman Allen West, who himself was relieved of command in Iraq and after his improper treatment of a detainee.
But if ex-military voices featured prominently in the case for the pardons, they have also loudly denounced it. The announcement by the White House was roundly condemned by retired Army Gen. Mark Hertling, retired Air Force Gen. Charles Dunlap and retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis. A statement by retired Marine commandant Charles Krulak (which itself invoked past statements by Sen. John McCain and Gen. Martin Dempsey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs) decried the measure as “relinquish[ing] the United States’ moral high ground.”
The presence of so many ex-military voices in the political debate highlights worries amid national security scholars regarding the potential politicization of the military. It also shows the relevance of a larger discussion about maintaining proper operation of U.S. civil-military relations."
