BlackFive

AMERICAN DUMBASS (Reuter's Photo - Sara D. Davis)

The title is in relation to my post about American Badass - SPC Jessica Nicolson. PFC Lynndie England is a complete dumbass. I wonder if the prosecution will pick up on the defenses claims that England was just following orders. I'll explain below. Here's the Reuter's story on the trial of the Abu Ghraib abusers that's just begun.

Abu Ghraib Guard Was Lousy Soldier - Prosecution
By Jim Loney

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Reuters) - Pfc. Lynndie England was an undisciplined soldier who disobeyed orders to stop sleeping with a comrade, witnesses said on Wednesday as prosecutors sharpened their attack on the woman who outraged the Arab world when she was pictured holding a naked Iraqi prisoner on a leash.

At the second day of a military hearing to determine if England should stand trial for abusing detainees at Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, her supervisor testified England was late for work, left early and disobeyed orders confining her to a life of "work, chow and church."
<...>
Prosecutors spotlighted England's personal behavior and sloppy work record at Abu Ghraib.

Defense attorneys homed in on the actions of Military Intelligence in a bid to bolster England's claim she was only following orders to soften up prisoners for questioning...

I've been part of a few court martials (trials) - as a witness or juror. I became good friends with a prosecutor in Germany. We sat next to each other in a neighborhood pub in Germany more than a few nights.

But some of the prosecutors that I know just don't follow through on the details. I'm talking about seemingly minor details, but ones that may shine light on lies. I was a witness on a case where a soldier was caught by my team doing something wrong while he claimed to be waiting for a bus. He was on the wrong side of the street to catch the bus, but no one figured it out until I mentioned it on the stand. The prosecution owed me a Hellerbach for that.

The same lack of focus seems to be with this Lynndie England case - everyone is focused on her penchant for exhibitionism, sex, foul language, etc. And the defense is claiming that she was following orders from Military Intelligence to soften up the prisoners.

Newsflash: England is a personnel clerk - a 71L. Not. An. MP. Her position is NOT one where an MI type would direct her to soften anything up unless it was personnel records file. No badge, no credentials, not an MP with authority over any prisoners. Keeping records is an important job, but it is not one that would grant her authority to do anything with regards to an interrogation or intelligence gathering.

This was all done on her own (with her boyfriend and a few other friends).

The officers that were supposed to be in charge of Abu Ghraib should burn. But so should England and friends.

The damage done has been great. Whether it's our credibility that's been eroded or that more deaths were caused in retaliation for the abuse, the hemoraging hasn't ebbed yet. I've even recently heard from uber-liberal friends that they believe that there is a Abu Ghraib snuff film that was created by this bunch. That's probably a rumor (99%), but the suspicion and accusations of more suppressed evidence are still out there.

Thanks to a few dumbasses.