Bozell Column: Clubbing Navy SEALs

Photo of Brent Bozell.
  • Bookmark and Share

Last week, Fox News reported a jaw-dropping story about how our War on Terror has now become a war on ourselves. In September a team of Navy SEALs captured terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed, a man known to the U.S. military as "Objective Amber," the architect of the vicious and deadly attack on four American contractors in the summer of 2004. These poor men were shot, burned, and then their bodies were desecrated, hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River.

But instead of hailing the SEALs as heroes for bringing this vicious murderer to justice, three of them have been brought up on charges.

When Abed was captured, he was brought to Camp Baharia, a U.S. base two miles outside Fallujah. According to one attorney, Abed was turned over to the Iraqis by mistake and was later returned to U.S. custody. There are differing reports that he was punched in the gut and given a bloody lip.

The SEALs were faced with two options. One, choose an administrative hearing, facing no possibility of jail time or dishonorable discharge, but having their reputations forever tarnished. Two, choose a court-martial which could exonerate them completely or, if convicted, land them behind bars and end their military careers.

They have chosen the latter. So now they must stand trial, to defend themselves. The terrorists must be laughing in disbelief at us, especially when it’s a well-known fact that they inflict injury on themselves (or each other) while in captivity so as to accuse their captors of abuse. If true in this case, the ruse has worked beyond their wildest dreams.

But let us conclude the SEALS punched this man in the act of capturing him. Take a poll and ask how upset the American public would be and that’s when you’d hear the outrage – at the way the SEALs are being treated.

But you won’t hear that outrage because the American people don’t know about this story because, believe it or not, our national media won’t report it.

There is no one except Fox emerging in a Nexis search of TV news transcripts. No ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, or CNN. How can this merit nothing? There is no sign of a story in major newspapers like The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, even the Associated Press and other wire services. (One exception: Gannett News Service ran an article from the Navy Times, even if it didn’t make USA Today, Gannett’s largest property.)

Time and Newsweek couldn’t find space for it. Time did cover the saga of one Navy SEAL – suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. But instead of allegedly punching a terrorist, SEAL commander Mark Waddell was in danger of attacking a cartoon character at Disneyland: "The noise of the careening rides, the shrieking kids – everything roused Waddell to a state of hypervigilance typical of his worst days in combat. When an actor dressed as Goofy stuck his long, doggy muzzle into his face, Waddell recalls, ‘I wanted to grab Goofy by the throat.’"

Waddell’s counselor hit Time’s sweet spot: "We get all excited when Johnny goes marching off to war, and then we forget about him a few days later when our favorite football team loses a game."

Time only forgets about our fighting men when they’re dragged into court for capturing a terrorist.

It’s not like the Abed story is unconfirmed. Kate Wiltrout had the story for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot last week: "The military confirmed Wednesday that Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, 24, was charged last month with assaulting a detainee, dereliction of duty for failing to protect a detainee and making a false statement. Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe are accused of failing to protect the man, whose identity is classified, said Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, a spokeswoman for the military's special operations command."

The New York Post wasn’t shy about this outrage. "And so the SEALs will be arraigned on Dec. 7 -- another reason for the date to live in infamy," it stated. "Ironically, if the three had treated Abed like Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq has routinely treated American soldiers it captures, his bloody, mutilated corpse would’ve turned up floating in a river. (For the record, the number of US combat troops captured in Iraq and Afghanistan who have been recovered alive is approximately zero.)"

The national media don’t want to touch this story, such is their hostility to the United States military, no matter how much they profess to the contrary. You’ve heard the Obama White House insist that Fox News is not a "legitimate news organization." This story demonstrates, yet again, that Fox often is just about the only legitimate news organization.

It’s high time the American people started getting very vocal in their outrage.


Comments Policy

All comments are owned by whoever posted them and are subject to our terms of use. They should not be assumed to represent the views of NewsBusters.

Viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Pure evil

This is a prime example of the disturbed and illogical thinking that President Hussein has brought. We are waging war against our soliders and making victims and heros of the most savage and bloodthirst terrorists.

This scum terrorist should be burned alive, but instead he will end up in a tropical paradise on the US dime and the heros who captured him may end up in Leavenworth.

 

Pure evil. 

 

Sniveling whining piece of muslim crap!!!!

Hang this s.o.b.  then throw his body in a hole pour in a bunch of pig parts and blood and bury him!!!  A good lesson to other cowards like him.......poor baby, got a booboo on him's lip!!!   

Sniveling whining piece of muslim crap!!!!

Hang this s.o.b.  then throw his body in a hole pour in a bunch of pig parts and blood and bury him!!!  A good lesson to other cowards like him.......poor baby, got a booboo on him's lip!!!   

I don't care how crass it

I don't care how crass it may seem, the GOP should make a political issue out of this.  The Democrat Party has gradually destroying America since the 1960s when it was taken over by the communists.  It needs to become common knowledge that the left is anti-American. 

Put me down on the side of

Put me down on the side of the SEALs.  But the GOP might think twice about making this a political issue.  Seems to have been happening under their watch, too.

Jer

You mean these three seals

You mean these three seals killed the prisoner?

Not sure what he means

myself. I think he just wants to argue. 

"Beware the fury of the patient man." - John Dryden

Read the article,

Read the article, Paragrouper...it's not that complicated.

Jer

Apples & Oranges, Jer

In the article you linked, the terr died after having been turned over to the CIA.  Turned in by someone who was drummed out for theft.  Who knows what happened?  Odd no CIA agents were covertly prosecuted.

The mutt currently in custody (allegedly) got a fat lip. 

I don't even want to begin to start on how wrong this current prosecution is, on so many levels.  I expended my rant quota for the week yesterday.   

And hell yeah, it's political.  It's Chicago style revenge on the Seal Teams for taking the shot at the Somalis (and horrors, killing them), Obama didn't want to do that, but his chain of command wasn't smart enough to totally hamstring the on-site commander, who saw the opening and took the shot.  Obama reluctantly took credit for it, of course. 

I so hope this blows up in the faces of the PC senior brass who have allowed this travesty to go forward. 

I'm disappointed Jer.   That was very, very weak.

I hope he fails, too.

 

 

Blonde...

The SEAL punched the guy in the arm.  He had nothing to do with the prisoner's demise.  Zilch!  That's precisely why he wasn't charged fo the subsequent death.  If anyone was culpable for the latter, it was the CIA.  Apples and apples.

Chicago style revenge for taking the shot at the Somali pirates?  You know I love you, J...but that is sheer nonsense.

I'm disappointed, too.

Jer

Are you implying the SEAL

Are you implying the SEAL in the 2003-2004 case who punched a prisoner in the arm killed him.  That's an outrageous accusation, Dan.  He was never charged much less tried for murder.  You have viciously smeared a Navy SEAL.

Jer

So, Jer, you believe that

So, Jer, you believe that it is scandalous for our soldiers to inflict bodily harm on enemy combatants while siezing them as prisoners during time of war on the battlefield?

Wouldn't that suggest the people who scandalize this are either fools or traitors?

NL... What does my

NL...

What does my statement "Put me down on the side of the SEALs" suggest to you?  What do my several posts here in the past expressly supporting the Bush/Cheney position on enhanced interrogation techniques and related WOT issues further suggest?

Jer

I was referring to

I was referring to this:

 

"But the GOP might think twice about making this a political issue."

The only reason any of this is a problem is the distortion the media injects into the debate.  The PC crap in the military has its origins with that witch, Pat Schroeder, the former Congresscritter from Colorado and the Tailhook scandal.  The upper brass of the military today are all children of Tailhook.  Their level of PC is no better demonstrated than by the feckless Gen. Casey's remarks about protecting diversity in the Army in reference to Maj Hasan, the Ft Hood terrorist.  He was more concerned about DIVERSITY than a murdering rampage by a Muslim extremist in the ranks.

NL...

Maybe so, NL...

But the Republicans were in complete control of the government during this period.  Furthermore, there was a conservative-leaning Supreme Court and federal judiciary.  And, last but not least, BD assures me that at least 80% of the military vote Republican.

Perhaps it was an opportune time to deSchroederize the "PC crap" in the military which the GOP squandered.  That's why Republicans might think twice about making this a political issue now as mattn has suggested.

Jer

It doesn't matter if this

It doesn't matter if this sort of thing happened under GOP administrations as well, the policies that allow it to happen are liberal Democrat America-hating policies, and the GOP should use this kind of stuff to demonstrate that to the people.

The Dems have made hay by politicizing false notions about Republicans, all the GOP has to do is politicize the truth.

Excellent Mattm!!!  GOP

Excellent Mattm!!!  GOP get THAT message!!!!!!  M-B

December 2, 2009 - 12:45 ET by mattm

It doesn't matter if this sort of thing happened under GOP
administrations as well, the policies that allow it to happen are
liberal Democrat America-hating policies, and the GOP should use this
kind of stuff to demonstrate that to the people.

The Dems have made hay by politicizing false notions about Republicans, all the GOP has to do is politicize the truth.

 

Do the SEALs need financial

Do the SEALs need financial hep with their defense?  Where do I donate?

Is there someone specifically we can write to left them know what an incredibly insane situation this?

Please post any info.  I'm getting sick of this crap.

It's part of the cowardice of Political Correctness...

I've said it before. Political correctness, if left unfettered, will be the end of Western civilization as we know it. We have lost the reference point to who and what we are as a nation.

Political correctness is permeating every corner of our nation and squeezing the life out of us. Our traditions, values and core beliefs have been undermined and sanitized from the public consciousness by this insidious liberal philosophy.

Until we return to what we know is Truth - God's standard of moral right and wrong, and redefine the lines again - the end of America as we know it will one day cease to be.

If a terrorist can't be called a terrorist, a murderer can't be called a murderer, or a rapist a rapist then moral declination will continue.

The answer to political correctness is not unrestrained offensiveness; it's moral absolutes.

 

"If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner." — Malcolm Muggeridge

Yep, stage9---

What you said.

MD

"No ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC,

"No ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, or CNN."

Liberals have their retarded methods, so these turds may get to it later. They have bigger news...because clubbing our Seals is nothing compaired to Tiger Woods getting a carless driving ticket. 

 

The perfect defence: We

The perfect defence:

We belong to a union!

case dismissed

 

I left the Republican party because the Republic party went to the LEFT of me.

Union isn't the answer

We just need to rid the country of the PC loving libs and put the "old school" type conservatives back in charge and then we will see just how far the ACORNs and ACLU's can go.

From the days of the War for Southern Independence (civil war), the south saw first hand at the antics of the "Union".  

Flush the proverbial giant toilet in 2010/2012 and get the real party back in charge.

Being a veteran of Desert Storm, this makes me sick to my stomach that our soldiers are being treated the way they are.  It's utterly despicable. 

"I don't make jokes.  I just watch the government and report the facts." - Will Rogers

well said

Well said, toneyuki, would like to use your line, hope you don't mind. I'm sick of hearing repubs need to move and be more like dems if we want to win anything. I'm convinced the opposite is in fact, the real truth.

This SEAL problem easy to fix in the future:

Just don't capture them. Shoot them down where they stand. I'm sure their was a fire fight to capture this man. Pap pap...oops no more terrorists...which means no chance of assault charges. Then again the Libs may prosecute for murder.

In marching step with Liberal Thinking lets round  up the remaining D-Day participants and charge them with tresspassing and destruction of private property. I mean they did come ashore on the beaches of Normandy uninvited and cause grave damage to the property they were tresspassing on.

 

Dead Men can't testify

It's going to come to this. If in battle you are faced with the decision of either A), capture the enemy, then be open to charges of abuse by the very country you swore an oath to defend, or B), kill them on the battlefield, justice served, and move on in life.

If I was there, I'd go with option B. No further worry of them coming back accusing me of anything, if they have assumed room temperature. 

Option B

In the choice of kill or be killed... it should be an easy answer.  During war time things aren't always the easiest during that point.  I know, I was there.

99.9% of the time, the enemy made the choice for you. 

"I don't make jokes.  I just watch the government and report the facts." - Will Rogers

Almost with you

 I agree with you mostly, however there is always good intel that can be gathered from captures.  Maybe after we get all the info we need, the terrorist will fall out of a window of a tall building.  ;)

 

 

" Courage - a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it. "  - William T. Sherman 

Intelligence

It's all a matter of how you choose to use the language, taking a page out of the libs playbook.  Instead of capturing prisoners, it should be renamed "detention"  Interrogation should be referred to as "cultural inquiries" and dumping these vermin out of an aircraft at 5000 feet should be termed "released", unless you decide to feed 'em to pigs, then they could be said to have attained their "optimal utilization".

Dead bodies become

Dead bodies become martyrs.

Missing, with no forwarding address leaves open the  possibility that the rumor can be started of the missing person took the money offered, ratted what he knew and is relaxing on a beach somewhere, clean shaven, with 72 non-virgins hangin on his every word.

THAT would put fear in the heart of all those cells around the world.  "what did he know? did he know about us?"

Obama, last known *DOCUMENTED* citizenship - Indonesian.

http://gjresult.com

 

Three SEALS!

These three brave men will become the Nathan Hales of our day! They have basically said, "Give us liberty or give us death!" They are demonstrating that truth and honor trumps convenience and expediency! Furthermore, an administrative hearing is always the trump card of command to convict without proof! They will have to have substantiated evidence to convict these guys! We will see if our military is now populated with "Girly Men" or real men! The verdict will tell all!

when?

Keynesian economics, saul alinsky politics, gov't control of our lives, and more coming (health communism)

Acorn, and the election system they compromised.

One stupid "O" speech after another. Apologizing for me

Czars doing who knows what, but destroying our freedom.

Everyday something else.

And NOW THIS. screwing with the REAL heros.

While hollywood destroys our country with their heros.

*sigh*

Take No Prisoners-

it may be time to be as cruel as we can be.

 Knowing once captured by the infidels you will be killed and not taken prisoner. body left to rot in the dirt-without proper muslim burial-

maybe things will change-

may God forgive my soul

BHO-  THE PROGRESSIVE PIRATE

 

 

 

It seems like you are

It seems like you are conflating two issues here in order to make this sound like more of a travesty than it is.

Here's the key issue: was the prisoner injured in the course of capture, or after he was safely in custody?

If it is the first, so what?  You are all right to be outraged if these soldiers are being brought up on charges that a detainee was injured "in the act of capturing him", as Bozell characterizes it.  People get hurt in war.

However, that's not what the scenario described above sounds like.  It sounds like AFTER we captured him, we shuffled him around to the wrong authorities, got him back, and somewhere in the course of that he was injured.

That's not okay.  When we take prisoners we are responsible for them. I don't think it is okay to hand them over to people who are going to abuse them, or to abuse them ourselves.  We can decide to execute them, but when we do it, we do it right.

So I don't know what happened, because as noted in the article, no one is covering this.  But if this is a case of beating up a prisoner who was already under our control, then I would say the soldiers involved deserve both the recognition for their bravery and success and condemnation for what happened afterwards.

 

So what if he got a bloody lip while in custody?

That hardly qualifies as a case of being "beaten up."

It's not like anyone would believe the murderous maniac was a non-violent model prisoner and didn't act up or attempt to attack his guards while locked up.

Watch any of those prison shows when a half dozen guards forcibly enter a cell with overwhelming force and take down a violent prisoner...happens all the time right here in our own prison system.

You're right...

god forbid they get a bloody lip while in custody or a bruise or anything for that matter. It's not like he murdered hundreds of people or anything.

What we should do is this:

Gag them, bind,them,  cover their heads with a black bag, break thier knees, cut fingers off, and then take the baf off thier head scream a bunch of Muslim Extremist jibberish and then cut their heads off with a dull knife (while video taping). Then release the tape for the world to see.

 Or better yet: we can bind them and gag them. Set them on fire and then mutilate thier bodies and display the pieces on bridges across the country.

Navy, I think we should

Navy, I think we should just boil them in pig fat, bury them in pig skin, all on video.

Save a SeAL, club a liberal/troll!!

Where is the Outrage?

Our country seems to be schitzophrenic.  We honor our military on Veterans Day, have parades and wave flags and banners and it's all covered on network news.  Yet when these brave men who are being falsely accused, where are the news crews?  Where is the outrage?  Where is the support for these brave men who risk their lives every day for our freedom?

What a shame. 

 Yes this is an outrage

 Yes this is an outrage alright; total PC BS.  Look what the terrorists did!  Our soldiers should get a medal for aiding in the capture.  If it was the other way around our soldiers would be left hung on the bridge just like the original crime.  It IS WAR and they are not being so nice & THEY STARTED IT!  M-B

Dear Brent - How can this merit nothing?

 

Here's how: The MSM won't have anything to say until AFTER the trial.  Either way the verdict goes, the SEALS will be labeled as thugs beating up a "civilian" without telling us the full story leading up to the incident.  The brain-washed American public will then buy the MSM explanation and slide further into their hatred of the US military.

Don't Tax Me, Bro.

→ True enough

The media don't seem to have much of a problem with the guy who murdered Daniel Pearl.

Of course they are more than happy to invite KSM to New York City in hopes he will attract a whole new batch of "newsmakers".

You see?  It's not very newsworthy if KSM gets convicted at GITMO, where he's already offered a guilty plea.

What the MSM wants is another down & dirty, blood-splattering, newsfeast, right outside the door, so they won't have to rely so heavily on the Jayson Blair method.

LYDSEXICS UNTIE!

Related in how we are

Related in how we are getting walked over by PC police : 

Hey, Want a Mosque Parking Lot Next to Your House? The Arrogance of Islam, Cowardice of the West

Snip:  ========

Sadly, and predictably, Northville Township authorities are cowering
and are set to to grant the Muslims and their mosque extraordinary
variances to do all of this.  It’s happening all over America.  When
neighbors oppose these monstrosities in the middle of their
neighborhoods, as Warren, Michigan residents did several years ago, the
U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department breathe down
officials’ necks and warn that opposing the mosques and refusing to
grant them special privileges will result in federal lawsuits forcing
it down their throats.

===========

http://www.debbieschlussel.com/12947/hey-want-a-mosque-parking-lot-on-yo...

M-B

If this doesn't cause

If this doesn't cause outrage, what does?  I cry for you, America.  When did this country turn into such self-loathing state?

X

The terrorists have time lawyers in line waiting to support the terrorists in court...any voluteers for the SEALs?

This whole idea of playing

This whole idea of playing politics with troops, who have their lives on the line, started with Vietnam...they trashed us for incursions across the DMZ, and the borders of Laos and Cambodia. Put some on trial for decisions made under fire. Now these same protesting bunch of panzies are more worried about the treatment of a sadistic killer than the lives and welfare of the ones tasked with his capture. This has to stop.

Save a SeAL, club a liberal/troll!!

But It's Serving A Purpose

It's endless entertainment to the terrorists. They can't believe their dumb luck at the election of Obama...Allah really MUST love them more!!!

             Th

             The so-called media in this country has turned into traitors to this country. They are going to extremes to keep the American people in the dark about everything.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Blackwater under the bus too

Similar:

Blackwater founder Prince feels thrown under bus

Interesting ----- snip----

The 40-year-old heir to a Michigan auto parts fortune told Vanity Fair in an interview released Wednesday that Xe now pays $2 million a month in legal bills. The company is headquartered in Moyock in northeastern North Carolina,

"I
put myself and my company at the CIA's disposal for some very risky
missions," Prince told Vanity Fair for its January issue. "But when it
became politically expedient to do so, someone threw me under the bus." ----------

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091202/ap_on_bi_ge/us_blackwater_owner

M-B

Not that I like what

Not that I like what happened to Blackwater, but that is the fortunes of war for a mercenary.  When it becomes expedient the mercenaries are gonna bite the bullet.  This has happened throughout history where mercenaries were hired to do a job and then let go when the job was done.

Privateers were hired in the same vien in the 1700/1800's.  Ships and crews formed and hired to make havoc on the enemies shipping with a writ from the opposing country lending them an air of legitimacy.  When the privateers had done the job then they were thrown under teh bus.  After they were chuncked under teh ship many turned pirate; of course many of them were merely pirates with a thin veneer of ligitimacy.

In todays climate it is harder to be a privateer because of our sue happy society.  I imagine there will be tougher language in future contracts.

Viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.