The Rick Amato Show

Today on Rick Amato

Jerry Shumate Sr., the father of Pendleton 8 member Lance Cpl Jerry Shumate Jr., joins the show in hour #1 as Rick drills deep in to the Pendleton 8 case. Also in hour #1 there will be live on the spot reports from Pendleton 8 demonstrations which are beginning to grow throughout southern California.

In hour # 2: The National City, CA illegal immigrant sanctuary proposal, the Senate's passing of a fence building bill and HR 6201- new legislation proposed by San Diego Congeressman Brian Bilbray are all topics on the table.

Congressman Bilbray is expected to join the show live from Capitol Hill.

Toll Free Call In Number from across America 888-344-1170.

 

The Rick Amato Show, Real People...Real Issues...In Real Time.

Today on Rick Amato

Jerry Shumate Sr., the father of Pendleton 8 member Lance Cpl Jerry Shumate Jr., joins the show in hour #1 as Rick drills deep in to the Pendleton 8 case. Also in hour #1 there will be live on the spot reports from Pendleton 8 demonstrations which are beginning to grow throughout southern California.

In hour # 2: The National City, CA illegal immigrant sanctuary proposal, the Senate's passing of a fence building bill and HR 6201- new legislation proposed by San Diego Congeressman Brian Bilbray are all topics on the table.

Congressman Bilbray is expected to join the show live from Capitol Hill.

Toll Free Call In Number from across America 888-344-1170.

 

The Rick Amato Show, Real People...Real Issues...In Real Time.

Something Rotten in Denmark

In the Article 32 hearing (military speak for pre-trial hearing) and the subsequent announcement to refer Pendleton 8 member PFC John Jodka to court martial, the Investigating Officer at the Article 32 hearing noted the inherent problems with the case, including: the evidence, witness availability, and recommended the dismissal of several charges.

However, General Mattis used in his court martial convening order, the recommendations of his Staff Judge Advocate. This now brings into question the value of the Article 32 process.

Jodka's attorney's had originally requested to waive the Article 32 hearing and go directly to trial- as is their right - and begin the process of an early start in exonerating PFC Jodka.

The government however denied Jodka's right to request a waiver of the Article 32.

Let's get this straight: The government has been able to pick-and-choose which evidence the defense has access to and which it does not. PFC Jodka wanted to skip the Article 32 pre-trial hearing and go directly to trial.   The government instead denied his request and said the Article 32 was necessary in order to determine if the case should proceed to trial. The Investigating Officer reveals problems with the case...but instead...the recommendations of the Staff Judge advocate are followed.   

Is this the fair, orderly judicial process we as Americans assume is afforded our military members?   

Keep checking back for more updates.

UPDATE: Article 32 Hearing Postponed

         The Article 32 hearing (military speak for pre-trial hearing) in the case of Pendleton 8 member Melson Bacos- originally scheduled for Wednesday September, 27th- has been postponed until October 19th.
Some believe this is a strategic move ...designed to wait and see... the response to any motions the defense may make regarding the three Pendleton 8 cases that are already proceeding to Court Martial. Keep checking back for updates.

Breaking News on Pendleton 8

The government has announced it will not seek the death penalty for three of the Pendleton 8.  Check back for more details.

Blog Of The Week

Our featured blog-posting of the week comes from Jim. Jim blogs a thought provoking comment on the state of today's American Soldier: 

Jim writes:

Are they Heros or Murderers?

Daily our soldiers are confronted with a situation in which you cannot tell who is good and who is bad. When he mistakenly identifies a bad guy as a good guy and is killed we call him a Hero. If he mistakenly identifies a good guy as a bad guy and kills him he is now a murderer who will now be put on trial for murder.

At no time in the history of warfare has so much been asked from a soldier. These men and women are laying down their lives for freedom, yet are not allowed to make a mistake or it will cost them theirs.

Why our our leaders not defending them? I believe they more concerned with looking good than doing good.

Today's Show: Bilbray, Prop 87 and Pendleton 8

Today on The Rick Amato Show Congressman Brian Bilbray joins the show live from Capitol Hill to update listeners on the House and Senate's illegal immigration debate, Peter Sepp Vice President of the National Taxpayer's Union checks-in to discuss California's controversial Prop 87... and... the growing number of southern California Pendleton 8   demonstrations will be visited for on-the-spot reporting.

The Rick Show, Real People...Real Issues, In Real Time.

                    4-6pm PST on 1170 KCBQ

                 Listen online at amatotalk.com

                Listener Call In Line: 888-344-1170

Changes In Latitude, Changes In Attitude

The news of President Bush and Senate Republicans reaching a tentaive agreement to allow for tough interrogation tactics of detainees, brings to mind comments made by a recent guest of my radio show.

Attorney Joseph Low represents Cpl. Marshall Magincalda. Cpl Magincalda, 23, has served three terms in Iraq and is one of the imprisoned Pendleton 8. Low had this to say recently:

"What it interesting is that at a time when the Commander In Chief is asking for more latitude in dealing with suspected terrorists, no latitude is afforded the Pendleton 8. The one person who they (military) ultimately serve is the Commander In Chief. He is one the person who can step in (Pendleton 8 case) and make a difference. Yet he has done nothing while at the same time asking for more latitude".

The Pendleton 8 are 7 Marines and a Naval Corpsman being held in a Camp Pendleton  brig for allegedly kidnapping and murdering an alleged Iraqi civilian.

Because They Hate

         The visit by Iranian President Ahmadinejad to the UN reminds me of two outstanding books written by recent guests of my radio show.

The first is written by Tony Blankley and is titled, THE WEST'S LAST CHANCE, Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations? Blankley of course is the editorial editor of the Washington Times and former Reagan speech writer. His book takes a hard hitting look at the danger posed by radical Islam and what must be done to counter it NOW. He compares the threat of radical Islam to that of Nazi Germany.

The other timely book I highly recommend is written by Brigitte Gabriel and is titled BECAUSE THEY HATE: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America .  Gabriel, a Lebanese born American, warns of the dangers of 'political correctness' in the war against terrorism.

Military Lawyers: All Time High

There is an excellant article by written Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough in the September 15th edition of The Washington Times.

The article points out that the number of military lawyers is now at an all time high, 10% larger than it was after the cold war.

The article explains a disturbing trend inherint to almost all beuaracracies: justification for for job promotion. The three senior JAGs for the Army, Navy and Air Force, known as TJAGs, want three-star rank similar to the surgeons general of the services. But they need a larger corps of military lawyers to justify the boost in rank, it has been reported. Legislation to increase the three-star rank was proposed this year but failed from lack of Pentagon support.

Click here to read their article in it's entirety . It helps to explain the landscape those serving in the military are dealing with, including  The Pendleton8 .