A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his Country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.
- Teddy Roosevelt

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Seven Marines and one Navy Corpsman were arrested in May 2006 following accusations that they had been involved in the murder of a man in Iraq. The accusations were made by Iraqi locals. This accusation came immediately after the accusations that Marines had murdered ‘in cold blood’ men, women and children in Haditha.

The Haditha accusations were given sensational international news coverage thanks to the support of the accusations by a United States Congressman. The Haditha incident was later proven to have been a hoax. Unfortunately, the fact that it was proven untrue did not make the news the way the accusations did.

So in an atmosphere that any accusations against United States Marines would result in a media feeding frenzy, demoralization of the troops and support by Congressmen more than willing to commit treason to further their own political careers, these 8 men were accused of killing an ‘innocent Iraqi civilian’.

The story of our Marines being held in SOLIDARY CONFINEMENT at Camp Pendleton, facing the DEATH PENALTY has fallen to the back pages of the news, if even that.

These Marines are not getting the benefit of outrage by the ACLU. No one is demanding their story remain on the front page and in every newscast. The left isn’t marching and screaming that they be treated fairly and that their rights be protected. They are just there and forgotten except but by a few.

Heidi and Kit at Euphoric Reality have taken up their cause and are doing so very well. They are writing a series of posts outlining the story of the Pendleton 8 as follows:

The Death of the Marine Corps, Chapter 1: [read the story]

Now imagine that you are sitting in an 8×8 cell, as are seven of your brothers, waiting to find out if your promise to remain faithful will in fact result in your death–not in a hail of enemy fire, not in the blinding explosion of a terrorist’s bomb, but by the sterile needle of a lethal injection, administered by the very country you spent your adult life defending. You have been shackled, wearing a label that says “PVD”: potentially violent and dangerous. You have been here for over a month now, in solitary confinement for almost 24 hours a day, with nothing to do but pray that someone stands up for you, just as you did for them. But hope is dwindling. Your military attorneys don’t have time to help you, and your civilian attorneys are being denied access to evidence that would prove you’re innocent–no autopsy of the man they say you murdered in cold blood, no witnesses, nothing. In fact, you’ve just been told that you may be tried without ever facing your accusers in court–accusers who already have given conflicting stories and dishonest statements. Your life hangs in the balance, but the chances here are even worse than they were in Iraq. There is a very good chance that you will die, convicted of a crime you did not commit, betrayed by the very country you defend.

The Death of the Marine Corps, Chapter 2: [read the story]

There are some basic problems with the case. Dan Riehl has done some excellent research as to the conflicting statements by “witnesses.” He found that in almost every facet of the story, there are discrepancies, none of which are being mentioned by the media. In fact, in an apparent failure to communicate with each other (and fact check), “both Knight Ridder and the WaPo state the accounts cannot be independently confirmed.”

The Death of the Marine Corps, Chapter 3: [read the story]

Eight men stand charged in the death of an insurgent in Hamdaniya, Iraq. His family claims he was a harmless old, disabled man who refused to become an informant for the Americans. Considering the lack of value placed on truth in Iraqi culture, and the fact that the family stood to gain $2500 in American dollars if they claimed their relative was a noncombatant, a logical person would have a hard time believing the disjointed, conflicting statements by various members of the family. More shocking than even the accusations themselves is the way in which this case has been handled by the Marine Corps. The timeline of events points to something even more insidious than a cover-up; it shows a blatant disregard for the lives of eight men who voluntarily gave of themselves for their country, and a willingness to allow the anti-American Left to dictate how we fight the war in Iraq, even at the expense of the troops they so vehemently claim to support.

The Death of the Marine Corps, Chapter 4: [read the story]

The Innocent 8, at this moment while you read this, are sitting in cells about the same size as your bathroom. They have been there for weeks with no recourse, no way to fight for themselves, no way to defend themselves against these charges. They have stood for us. We owe it to them to stand now. The fight is uphill, and there are those who will not listen. Many people want to see the United States fail as a country, and would even like to see these Marines die. But we know in our hearts what the difference is between right and wrong, and we sit here today because of men like them.

A defeat in the courtroom for the Pendleton 8 means a defeat for our country in the War on Terror. The enemy already uses our media, and to know that they can succeed in killing Marines simply by making up stories about them…if this case ends in a conviction, then we have already lost.

Go here for a good list of things YOU can do to help TODAY.

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Write a post, tell your friends and family, get the word out. Don’t let these guys be forgotten. Don’t let them be executed to appease the liberal left!

If you care DO SOMETHING. What YOU DO MATTERS!

http://innocentmarine.com - PFC John Jodka III
http://Defensefundformyhero.com - Cpl Trent Thomas
http://patriotdefensefund.com/ - HC3 Melson J. Bacos
http://friendsofjerry.blogspot.com/ - Lance Cpl Jerry Shumate
http://www.fightingfortyler.com/ - LCPL Tyler Jackson
http://www.helpdefendourmarine.com/ - Cpl. Marshall L. Magincalda Jr.
http://www.defendrob.com/ - LCPL Robert Pennington
SGT Lawrence Hutchins

(These websites are provided for information purposes only. I am not suggesting or recommending any financial donations. I have no way to ascertain the legitmacy of any of the websites set up on behalf of the Marines. Please use your own judgement in regards to the websites).

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Beaker’s Corner has initiated a letter writing campaign. He offers a lot of help if you are not sure where to start.

Riehl World View takes apart the case against the Marnes and Navy Corpman.

The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler is furious.

There are many consequences to an outrage such as this. One is that good men and women will move away from military service. It is frieghtening to think of the kind of military we will end up having if these types of actions are allowed to stand.

Mudville looks at media obsession with the torture of rather than by terrorists.

Others posting: Fmragtops Spews, Cao’s Blog, Homemade Sin, Old War Dogs, Right Wing Nation, Don’t Go Into the Light, Basil’s Blog,

Getting the word out: Stop the ACLU, Echo9er, Argghhh!, Third World County, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Is It Just Me?, Woman Honor Thyself, 123beta, LeaningStraightUp, Bloggin Outloud, Bullwinkle Blog, The Pirate’s Cove, The Dumb Ox, TMH’s Bacon Bits, Stuck on Stupid, Adam’s Blog, Conservative Cat

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