Justice @ MindSay

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

May 16, 2008 - America needs dedicated public servants now more than ever, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told graduates at the Virginia Military Institute, in Lexington, Va., today.  Gates congratulated the 246 graduates of the state military college on their accomplishments and said the institute has taught them lessons on the importance of public service and duty to their fellow citizens.  

"For generations, VMI has graduated young people ready to raise their right hands and defend their homeland," the secretary said. "This is something to be grateful for in any time period, but never more so than in a time of war."

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the number of VMI graduates taking commissions in the armed forces has risen. More than half of the class of 2008 will serve. Gates said.

"One of the strengths of America is that we have institutions like VMI, and young men and women like those sitting here today, who are answering this generation's challenge," he said. "From Kabul to Kirkuk, former VMI cadets are serving throughout the armed forces and the U.S. government in many roles: in military intelligence, organizing reconstruction efforts, building infrastructure, and commanding troops in the field."

Since 2001, 75 VMI cadets have been mobilized for active duty, and 41 have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. "More than 1,200 graduates of VMI have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since the start of the war on terror," Gates said. "Eight of them have not returned."

In Iraq and Afghanistan, initial military success has given way to stability and reconstruction campaigns against brutal and adaptive insurgents, the secretary said. "This has tested the mettle of our government, our military, and the patience of our people in ways we haven't seen in a generation," he said.

Not all graduates of the institute serve in the military, but all serve the nation in some way. Gates quoted from Gen. George C. Marshall, the most distinguished graduate of the college, who said, "Our graduates seldom amass great wealth, but just as seldom do they display weakness or indifference to their duties as citizens. They are trained to be soldiers, if there be need for soldiers. ... But what is far more important, they are trained to be good citizens."

Working as a public servant is not easy, as even Marshall found out. Following his service as the "architect of victory" in World War Two, he was pilloried by some Americans for his actions while serving as secretary of state and secretary of defense, Gates said. Benjamin Franklin called the carping critics "bugwriters," the secretary said.

Today, the United States faces many challenges at home and abroad. "We live in a time of great necessities, a time in which we cannot avoid the burdens of global leadership," he said. "The stakes are too high. And it is precisely during these times that America needs its best and brightest from all walks of life to step forward and commit to public service -- to exchange the life of ease and contentment and take on the burdens and the bugwriters."

If America is to continue to be a force for good and justice and the rule of law in the world, "if America is to exercise global leadership consistent with our better angels, then the most able and idealistic of today's young people must step forward and agree to serve their country with the same honor and courage and dignity that marked the service of the long line of patriots that came before them," Gates said.

"Your country asks nothing more than that you live up to the values you have learned and lived in this place for these past four years. You owe yourself nothing less."

Crime and justice cannot be adequately analyzed without an understanding of the historical and social contexts. Policing in a rural community provides an useful example of how social forces shape the delivery of informal as well as formal justice yet little is known about rural law enforcement. Furthermore, although approximately 50 percent of American law enforcement agencies are rural or small town, the vast majority of the research has been on the urban experience.

Based upon a baseline study of policing in a rural Kansas community, this study begins to fill part of that hiatus. The objective of the research project handed by the National Institute of Justice was four-fold: (1) to describe the existing policing model from the perspectives of citizens, community leaders, and law enforcement; (2) to identify the indicators of success or effectiveness of the law enforcement as perceived by citizens, community leaders, and law enforcement; (3) to identify law enforcement priorities and preferred policing models as identified by citizens, community leaders, and law enforcement; and (4) to make recommendations for rural law enforcement policy and training.

The data for this study were obtained from four sources: official crime data, a random sample telephone and mailed survey of community citizens and a hands-on survey of local law enforcement; participatory meetings with key community organizations; and interviews with community “gatekeepers.” Citizen response to the majority of indicators of law enforcement effectiveness was positive and supportive of the existing policing model in contrast to the law enforcement response which was more mixed. When asked how law enforcement should be done, citizen response indicated a conflict between their beliefs about how policing should be done and their evaluations of the success of the delivery of local law enforcement services. The theory of cognitive dissonance renders a useful theoretical framework for understanding the conflict between citizen perceptions of the effectiveness of their law enforcement agencies and their ”John WayneNild West” image of fighting crime.

READ ON

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/181044.pdf

Domestic violence (DV), including intimate partner violence, continues to be recognized as a major issue by justice policy planners and public officials. It is a crime that is often used as a means to exert power and control over intimate partners, family members, and others. As a result, it not only affects those who are abused but also other family members and children exposed to the abuse.

Given the consequences of domestic violence, many national and state initiatives have begun to reduce the incidence of domestic violence across the country. At the national level, for instance, the federal government established an initiative called Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) to target the reduction of violent crimes, including domestic violence.

In 2004, the Office of the U.S. Attorney General began a new PSN public service announcement campaign targeting the problem of domestic violence and firearms.

Similar to the efforts at the national level, the PSN initiative in the northern district of West Virginia focused its efforts on the problem of domestic violence. Started in early-2003, the northern PSN district known as Project Safe Homes (PSH), established the goal of reducing the incidence of domestic violence in the district as well as gun related crime.

READ ON

http://www.wvdcjs.com/publications/Official%20Reports%20of%20Domestic%20Violence%20Report,%202000-2005.pdf

The Defense Department announced today that charges against five of the six detainees who are alleged to be responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks upon the United States of America on September 11, 2001 have been referred to trial by military commission. Those attacks resulted in the death of 2,973 people, including 8 children. The referred charges detail 169 overt acts allegedly committed in furtherance of the 9/11 events. The accused will face trial in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In accordance with the Military Commissions Act of 2006, the Convening Authority has the sole discretion to determine what charges will be referred to trial. In exercising her independent judgment, the Convening Authority, Ms. Susan Crawford, has referred to trial charges against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi. The five accused will be tried jointly, and the cases are referred as capital for each defendant, meaning they face the possibility of being sentenced to death.

The Convening Authority has dismissed without prejudice the sworn charges against Mohamed al Kahtani. Because the charges were dismissed without prejudice, the government has the option of charging Kahtani separately, but he will not be tried with the other accused in this case. 

The charges allege a long-term, highly-sophisticated, organized plan by al Qaeda to attack the United States. Each of the accused is charged with conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, terrorism and providing material support for terrorism.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali are also charged with hijacking aircraft.

The charges allege that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks by proposing the operational concept to Usama bin Laden as early as 1996, obtaining approval and funding from Usama bin Laden for the attacks, overseeing the entire operation, and training the hijackers in all aspects of the operation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash is alleged to have administered an al Qaeda training camp in Logar, Afghanistan where two of the September 11th hijackers were trained. He is also alleged to have traveled to Malaysia in 1999 to observe airport security by US air carriers in order to assist in formulating the hijacking plan.

Ramzi Binalshibh is alleged to have lived with the Hamburg, Germany al Qaeda cell where three of the 9/11 hijackers resided. It is alleged that Binalshibh was originally selected by Usama bin Laden to be one of the 9/11 hijackers and that he made a "martyr video" in preparation for the operation. He was unable to obtain a US visa and, therefore, could not enter the United States as the other hijackers did. In light of this, it is alleged that Binalshibh assisted in finding flight schools for the hijackers in the United States, and continued to assist the conspiracy by engaging in numerous financial transactions in support of the 9/11 operation.

Ali Abdul Aziz Ali's role is alleged to have included sending approximately $120,000 to the hijackers for their expenses and flight training, and facilitating travel to the United States for nine of the hijackers.

Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi is alleged to have assisted and prepared the hijackers with money, western clothing, traveler's checks and credit cards. He is also alleged to have facilitated the transfer of thousands of dollars between the accounts of alleged 9/11 hijackers and himself on September 11, 2001.

The military commissions provide the following protections for the accused: to elect not to testify at trial and to have no adverse inference drawn from it; to be represented by detailed military counsel, as well as civilian counsel of his own selection and at no expense to the government; to examine all evidence presented to a jury by the prosecution; to obtain evidence and to call witnesses on his own behalf including expert witnesses; to confront and cross-examine every witness called by the prosecution; to be present during the presentation of evidence; to have no statements obtained by torture admitted; to have a military commission panel (jury) of at least five military members (12 in a capital case) determine guilt or innocence by a two-thirds majority, or in the case of a capital offense, at least 12 members must unanimously decide to impose a sentence of death; and the right to an appeal to the Court of Military Commission Review, then through the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to the U. S. Supreme Court.

These protections are guaranteed to the defendant under the Military Commissions Act, and are specifically designed to ensure that every defendant receives a fair trial, consistent with American and international standards of justice and the rule of law.

The charges are only allegations that each accused has committed a war crime under the Military Commissions Act. The accused are presumed innocent of any criminal charges unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at a military commission.

Homeland security: The week ahead

“The national biodefense center, which will open shortly, provides a Level

4 laboratory in which research on the most dangerous and contagious diseases can be carried out. The center is likely to be one of the most controversial components of the U.S. biodefense effort, given how secret many of its activities are likely to be. Defensive research is legal under the international treaties that ban biological weapons, but secrecy can make it tough to reassure observers that research is really defensive. […] [On May 14th] the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee holds a confirmation hearing for Paul Schneider, President Bush's pick to replace the long-departed Michael Jackson as deputy secretary of homeland security.” (United Press International; 12May08; Shaun Waterman) http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Emerging_Threats/Analysis/2008/05/12/homeland_security_the_week_ahead/9815/

La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology Receives $7.1 Million Grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

 “The La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology (LIAI) has received a $7.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund safety and effectiveness testing of an antibody treatment that quickly fights the smallpox virus. The treatment could be the nation’s first line of defense in protecting against a terrorist-originated smallpox outbreak and may eventually be stockpiled nationwide alongside the smallpox vaccine. […] LIAI scientist Shane Crotty, Ph.D., who developed the antibody treatment, said the NIH grant will fund pre-clinical testing of the work he and his research team started three years ago. In 2005, the researchers, studying blood samples from people who had received the smallpox vaccine, were able to isolate the anti-H3 antibody as an extremely potent fighter against smallpox.” (Life Science Online; 08May08) http://www.lifescience-online.com/La_Jolla_Institute_for_Allergy_and_Immunology_Rece,9550.html?portalPage=Lifescience%20Today.News

[U.S. Air force] Men who refused vaccine may get clear records

“A federal judge’s decision could lead to clearing the records of military personnel who refused to take mandatory anthrax shots between 1999 and 2004. Judge James Robertson of the district court for the District of Columbia admonished the Air Force Board for the Correction of Military Records, which had rejected a petition by two former Connecticut Air National Guard officers for compensatory relief for back pay and lost promotions after they claim they were forced to resign for refusing the vaccine. The plaintiffs, Thomas Rempfer and the estate of the late Russell Dingle, based their appeal on a separate anthrax vaccine lawsuit.” (Air Force Times; 11May08; William H. McMichael) http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/05/airforce_anthrax_051008w/

Indian student in US jail to walk free

“A student from Andhra Pradesh, languishing in the Phelps County jail in United States for over 14 months after he walked into the University of Missouri-Rolla on February 27 last year, waiving a bag and shouting that he had a bomb and anthrax, could soon be a free man. [...] The Indian consulate at Chicago informed the state government that Sujith would be released in June as charges like felony, assault and criminal action against him has been dropped.” (Hindustan Times; 12May08; Ashok Das) http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=157e11cb-34af-43a0-8e07-72d44364f2cf&&Headline=Indian+student+in+US+jail+to+walk+free

US Country Reports on Terrorism-Belgium

“Belgium continued to strengthen its response to the threat of terrorism, fashioning new institutions in its security services, improving internal coordination among antiterrorism offices, promulgating new laws to deal with terrorism and money laundering more aggressively, and strengthening agencies that confront terrorist financing. […] Belgian emergency action plans have been reviewed and updated to prepare for and respond to potential attacks, including bioterrorism. On a local level, authorities have instituted drills of rapid alert systems, and reviewed critical infrastructure support and civil protection and medical assistance procedures.” (Journal of Turkish Weekly; 12May08) http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=55250

China launches 5-day chemical weapons training course [Beijing]

“A protection and assistance training course jointly sponsored by the Chinese government and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was inaugurated here on Monday. A Foreign Ministry press release said 25 students from 18 countries in the Asia-Pacific region were participating in the five days of training at the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Institute of Chemical Defense. […] The training course will conclude on Friday, the press release announced.” (Window of China; 12May08; Sun Yunlong) http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/12/content_8153418.htm

Amendments to chemical weapons laws approved [United Arab Emirates]

“The Cabinet Legislation Committee discussed and approved amendments to three federal laws at a meeting held here yesterday. […] Headed by Dr Hadif bin Juaan Al Dhahiri, Minister of Justice, the committee has approved to amend federal law 13 for the year 2007, regarding the import and export regulations of commodities, federal law 40 for the year 2006 regarding banning the production, storage and usage of chemical weapons […].” (Khaleej Times; 12May08) http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2008/May/theuae_May418.xml&section=theuae

Recycled NASA [National Aeronautics & Space Administration] telescope to be used for bomb detection

“An astrophysicist has recycled parts from one of NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory's old instruments for bomb detection. […] James Ryan, an astrophysicist at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, recycled one of them to detect gamma rays emitted by radioactive substances, such as plutonium, uranium and caesium, which could be used in dirty bombs combining conventional explosives with radioactive material. The Compton device detects light emitted by electron scattering, caused by gamma rays hitting two layers in the instrument. These two detections allow a user to track the direction of the incoming rays. […] According to Ryan, using the device from a distance of 10 metres, he can pinpoint a source like caesium to within a third of a metre from side-to-side. ‘It'll work, but it's not optimal, given the fact it's so dated,’ said Nick Mascarenhas, a physicist at Sandia National Laboratory in Livermore, California, who is building his own directional radiation detector. ‘It's probably going to have limitations,’ he added.” (Malaysia Sun; 10May08) http://story.malaysiasun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/89d96798a39564bd/id/357826/cs/1/

Antidote to lethal germ 'closer'

“With funding from the US government, researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York, and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Maryland, have broken through a barrier towards developing an effective antidote against the most potent form of the toxin. The researchers have developed a protein that blocks the effects of the toxin by tricking it into not attacking cells in the body. Biologist Subramanyam Swaminathan, who led the research, told BBC News: ‘We anticipate at least four to five years before this can be turned into an approved drug.’” (BBC; 12May08; Angela Saini) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7395731.stm

Army Post Stages Mock Drill [Fort Campbell, Kentucky]

“Fort Campbell~staged a mock terrorist attack Thursday morning to give fire and emergency crews training for such an event. In the scenario, a car bomb containing weapons of mass destruction exploded. Dozens of people injured. […] They also had to be on the lookout for chemical and biological weapons. […] Outside law enforcement and fire departments were invited to participate in the exercise. Fort Campbell emergency crews try to conduct anti-terrorism exercises at least once a year.” (News Channel 5; 08May08)

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=8292859

French navy forms new special troop

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy Thursday announced the creation of a special navy troop to take part in a number of overseas missions, according to local media. The troop will only have about 30 members to begin with. They will be experts on reconnaissance, mine clearance, electronic warfare, nuclear warfare and biological and chemical warfare.” (China View; 09May08; Du Guodong)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/09/content_8135023.htm

Country Reports on Terrorism 2007: South and Central Asia Overview-III

“DOD held four Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) sessions with Tajikistani security forces to improve their capacity to conduct counterterrorism operations. The U.S. Embassy administered training which included chemical weapons response and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) detection training. These programs will help Tajikistan stop potential terrorists who may attempt to cross the Tajikistani border, and will enable Tajikistan to better control its borders. […] Tajikistan endorsed the joint U.S.-Russia co-chaired Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. In November, it hosted a regional conference to discuss with its neighbors more effective cooperation to counter WMD proliferation.” (Journal of Turkish Weekly; 09May08)

http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=55199

US Country Reports on Terrorism-Macedonia

“Macedonia passed legislation on nuclear security and terrorism, chemical weapons, and entered into bilateral law enforcement, security, and extradition agreements. […] The Government of Macedonia continued its close coordination with the United States on counterterrorism matters, which included intelligence sharing on potential terrorist groups operating in or transiting the country.” (Journal of Turkish Weekly;

12May08)

http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=55253

CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.