Ex-JAG Lawyer Says Prosecution of Navy SEALs is “Absolutely Ridiculous”

And, the fact that we have only the word of a terrorist to take that this incident actually occurred, it seems to fit more in the “redonkulous” category.  More than likely, it will end as almost all of these ridiculous witch-hunts end; with the charges being dropped or an acquittal:

It’s ‘Absolutely Ridiculous’ to Prosecute Navy SEALs Over Alleged Punching of Terrorist, Says Former JAG Lawyer Now Serving in Congress
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
By Fred Lucas, Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) – A former military lawyer now serving in Congress called the court martial of three Navy SEALs who captured a terrorist suspected of killing four Americans “absolutely ridiculous.”

Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) served four years in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps and served as the special assistant U.S. attorney at Fort Hood, Texas, prosecuting all civilian crimes at the post. He later taught constitutional and criminal law at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

He believes the SEALs case represents a larger systemic problem. The SEALs are accused of allegedly abusing terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed by supposedly punching him and then lying about the incident. Abed is the reported architect of the murder of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004, the bodies of whom were burned and hanged from a bridge.

“Never before in the history of this country, as much as now, does somebody [in the military] have to wonder is this going to get me thrown into Leavenworth for the rest of my life?” Rooney told CNSNews.com.

“Certainly, we want to take the high road, and we want to have the highest standards,” he said. “But we also need to have clear rules of engagement. That’s incumbent on us to maintain the leadership role, and the Department of Defense. And court martialing three SEALs for maybe or maybe not punching some guy in the stomach without any kind of corroborating evidence I don’t think is sending the right message.”

[…]

“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous,” said Rooney. “The line between being given a medal and being court martialed nowadays is not discernable. It’s just so frustrating for me as a former judge advocate, as somebody who taught the laws of war at West Point. Our job is to advise commanders on what lawful targets are and what the rules of engagement are, and what you do toward prisoners who are detainees.”

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