Are there any sane people running anything in Iraq for the U.S.?

[Virginia Dare]

we apparently put this crazy-ass Colonel in charge of the detention camp that Saddam was being held in. No wonder things are so screwed up over there..


Though some witnesses defended his work, much of the testimony cast Lt. Col. William H. Steele, a reservist and former Anne Arundel County police officer, as a commander who flouted a wide range of military laws and was careless with highly sensitive materials. One witness said Steele confessed to the charges against him.

-snip-

Steele has been charged with nine violations, including fraternizing with the daughter of a detainee, mishandling classified information and government funds, having an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter and possessing pornography.

The hearing, which ended Tuesday, amounted to a formal investigation. The presiding officer will issue a recommendation as to whether Steele should face court-martial. While the charge of aiding the enemy can be a capital offense, a military court liaison said Steele would be unlikely to face such punishment if convicted.

-snip-

In Florida, Steele was charged in 1993 with aggravated child abuse in connection with the alleged mistreatment of a stepson, 11. According to an arrest affidavit filed in court, Steele struck the boy for failing to complete homework and chores, deprived him of food and called him "worthless."

Steele was also charged with resisting arrest when deputies sought to take him into custody Nov. 1, 1993, in connection with the alleged abuse. Prosecutors dropped both charges, in part because of concern about requiring the child to testify. In a subsequent proceeding in family court, Steele and his wife lost custody of the child, according to a source with knowledge of the proceeding.

In Prince George County, Steele was charged with two misdemeanor offenses after a dispute over the construction of a shed in 2003. Complainant Bachir Jamil, a contractor, said in court papers that Steele menaced him, saying, "You better get out of here or I'll blow your head off," and that Steele accused him of working for al-Qaeda

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/01/AR2007050101872.html

[april]

1. ask yourself r there any sane people in the US running anything

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. Thers seems to be something disturbing going on...

In a subset of our law enforcement personnel. It's like an attitude has been institutionalized that when "911 changed everything", it especially changed for them and they can now do anything the hell they want. Not all, mind you, just some, which means the same thing as the phrase "far too many" in this case.

One need only look at the stories of the behavior of our immigration people of late for one instance of this. There are way too many others.

[frogcycle]

3. with all due respect to most of our National Guardsmen

this points out the biggest falacy in this massive mobilization of the Guard to fight a sustained war. The Guard does not vet people nor train them the way the active duty services do. That is not to say there are not some lousy senior officers in the active duty services - but I doubt someone with this track record would have made light colonel in the army. Abu Ghraib is another example.

We brag about our highly-trained, all-volunteer, professional army - and then use part-time soldiers and contractors for much of the work. If the army controlled those people the way it does its own, that might be ok. But they don't. Nowadays they follow this administrations "anything goes" lead. Oh, except for abortion and stem cell research. Anything ELSE goes.