THE FACTS FOR OR AGAINST STAFF SERGEANT ROBERT BALES.

In a blog post last March, Karilyn Bales wife of Staff sergeant Robert Bales wrote: "Well we found out yesterday that Bob did not get promoted to E7 this year. It is very disappointed after all of the work Bob has done and all the sacrifices he has made for his love of his country."

Because of monetary problems their family home had been placed on the market just days prior to the attack, it has now been taken off the market since the attack.

On July 2002, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales received a deferred sentence for a misdemeanour criminal assault charge in Tacoma Municipal Court. The charge was later dismissed after Staff Sargeant Robert Bales completed an anger management assessment, had no other law violations in six months and paid a $300 fine, court records show.

Court records show that Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was cited for a misdemeanour hit-and-run incident in October 2008 in Sumner. He received a deferred 12-month sentence, and paid a fine of $250, which led to a dismissal of the charges.

Records state that Staff Sargeant Robert Bales was spotted on Oct. 11, 2008, running from an accident scene shortly after midnight on the Sumner-Tapps Highway. It was a single-car rollover accident, records state. No other drivers were involved?

Witnesses reported seeing "a white male wearing military-style uniform, shaved head and bleeding," fleeing on foot and running into nearby woods. A police officer spoke to Staff Sargeant Robert Bales, the owner of the car, who said he had fallen asleep behind the wheel.

Staff Sergeant Robert Bales last Iraq deployment was Aug. 9, 2009, according to a statement on his wife's blog.

Most information about the suspect — before he was identified — has come from two camps, each representing particular interests.

There's the U.S. government, almost always represented by the voices of unidentified "senior military officials." On the other side, there's the civilian lawyer, John Henry Browne, a veteran criminal defence attorney from Seattle, near Staff Sergeant Robert Bales' home base.

For example, the suspect now identified as Staff Sergeant Robert Bales lost part of one foot due to injuries sustained in Iraq during one of his three tours of duty there, his lawyer John Henry Browne said. His lawyer John Henry Browne also said that when the 11-year veteran heard he was being sent to Afghanistan late last year, he did not want to go. He also said that a day before the rampage through two villages, the soldier saw a comrade's leg blown off.

The same goes for the possibility alcohol played a role.

On Friday, a senior U.S. defence official said Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was drinking alcohol prior to both attacks on Afghan villagers, violating a U.S. military order banning alcohol in war zones. The official discussed the matter on condition of anonymity because charges have not yet been filed.

The move to the U.S. does not necessarily mean an announcement of formal criminal charges is imminent, a defence official said such is a possible a defence of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lawyer John Henry Browne said the Staff Sergeant Robert Bales is originally from the Midwest but now lives near Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State. His children are 2 and 5.

The Staff Sergeant's Robert Bales family says they saw no signs of aggression or anger. "They were totally shocked," by accounts of the massacre, Lawyer John Henry Browne said. "He's never said anything antagonistic about Muslims. He's in general very mild-mannered."

Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, is said to have received sniper training, is assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, of the 2nd Infantry Division, which is based at Lewis-McChord and has been dispatched to Iraq three times since 2003, military officials say.

The Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was injured twice in Iraq, lawyer John Henry Browne said. A battle-related injury required surgery to remove part of one foot.

But Lawyer John Henry Browne and government officials differ in their portrayal of a second injury, to the soldier's head, in a vehicle accident.

A government official said this week that the accident was not related to combat. But Lawyer John Henry Browne said the man suffered a concussion in an accident caused by an improvised explosive device?

Lawyer John Henry Browne also said his client was "highly decorated," but did not provide any specifics.

When he returned to the Seattle area, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales at first thought he would not be required to join his unit when it shipped out for Afghanistan, his family thought he was done fighting and was counting on him staying home. Until orders came dispatching him to Afghanistan, he was training to be a military recruiter, Lawyer John Henry Browne said.

Staff Sergeant Robert Bales arrived in Afghanistan in December. On Feb. 1 2012 and was assigned to a base in the Panjwai District, near Kandahar, to work with a village stability force that pairs special operations troops with villagers to help provide neighbourhood security.

On Saturday, the day before the shooting spree, Lawyer John Henry Browne said, the soldier saw his friend's leg blown off. Lawyer John Henry Browne said his client's family provided him with that information, which has not been verified. The other soldier's "leg was blown off, and Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was standing next to him," They said.

Lawyer John Henry Browne said he did not know if his client had been suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but said it could be an issue at trial if experts believe it's relevant. Experts on PTSD said witnessing the injury of a fellow soldier and the soldier's own previous injuries put him at risk.

"We've known ever since the Vietnam war that the unfortunate phenomenon of abusive violence often closely follows the injury or death of a buddy in combat," said Dr. Roger Pitman, a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist who heads the PTSD Research Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital. "The injury or death of a buddy creates a kind of a blind rage."

Seems a very mixed up case of a man who has in the past has required a need of anger management, a man who did not stand up for his own reasonability in a hit and run case, a man disappointment in not receiving promotion when he felt it was due, a man not given leave at a time he felt it was required, a man suffering from financial difficulties due to being deployed yet again, a man who was possible suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder prior to entering his deployment in Afghanistan, a man who had witness the injury of an comrade the previous day before the attack and a man who was seen to be drinking by a superior and not curtailed or be recognized as suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after this event and probably a great deal more information to come in regard of Staff Sergeant Robert Bales mental state!

Who here is going to be prepared to carry the buck for this lone loose cannon? Who has not only caused the deaths of so many Afghans but who has changed the whole concept of what the fight in Afghanistan is about? More so the pressures this now places on the remaining armed forces within Afghanistan.

I think it is fair that no matter how much in the past President Hamid Karzai has tried to bring these issues up in the past in regard of the deaths by Americans and NATO of innocent Afghan civilians the world has now started after a long 10 years to sit up and take notice.

So time has passed and dear little old president swiftly made sure the familes of the deceased have had their price in gold out of his own pocket I hear for theit loss and have we heard anymore news on this dreadful event, well not as I can find, then you were not meant to, the sooner it was swept under the carpet the better . . . Thus giving the US military time to rearrange the story to suit them selves . . .

Well how is this for a story ?

On the night in question the Afghans stated there was more soldiers involved in that incident that night and what we are seeing here is just a cover up, looking at the evidence and facts it would seem strange that all of this was able to be done by just one lone rouge soldier and just maybe the Afghans on the grounds have got it right ! 

Dear old Sergeant Robert Bales was a man who had just placed his house on the market because he was no longer in a postion to afford the mortgage, but since this incident the house has been removed from off the market, strange as you would think as a man that would no longer be receiving a wage from the US military would be in a far worse postion than he was in the first place !

Has dear old Sergeant Robert Bales done a closed deal with good old uncle Sam in return of taking the wrap for a whole bunch of rouge soldiers at a price of securing his own familys future ?

Something that will remain to be seen for those of us that do not forget and will be checking on it at a later date . . .

MASHALLAH.

Aysha Sadiq-Ali *_*;

ANOTHER ROGUE SOLDIER LETS RIP IN AFGHANISTAN!

So ironic at a time Bruce Springsteen releases his new track “We take care of our own” a rogue soldier lets rip in Afghanistan killing 16 Afghans, of which 9 were children, the soldier who is rumoured to be a Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was moved out of Afghanistan to the states via Kuwait, although the crime was committed in Afghanistan and as far as Afghanistan is concerned the soldier should stand trail there, and if this was to be would have faced most certain death, but whatever the cries and the injustice, trails of soldiers are always held by the army in which they belong, so president Hamid Karzai and Afghans themselves can bitch till the sun goes down this is not gonna to happen, the now request of president Hamid Karzai that this trail should then be televised to the Afghan people remains to be seen! We as the world as well as the grieved families what to know what is going to happen to this soldier, news is all ready out this is a man who has served time in Iraq, was injured to body and even received a brain injury, a married man of 2 young children, who had clearly expressed he did not want to serve in Afghanistan, whether he had marriage & alcohol problems and if he did what part did these have to play in regard of his mental state remains to be seen, in the end he was a loose cannon waiting to blow unseen by the military he was under, so the question has to be who is to blame here ? The question of how he manage to return to his base and then some hours later leave his base again with no one noticing maybe blood or scorch marks to his uniform or maybe they did? as Afghans reported helicopters above as he committed his second attack on a neighbouring village some 5-7 km from the first given maybe reasons towhy the Afghans felt more than one was involved! One way or another it seems the American army has a lot of explaining to do or even worse cover up.

The fact will out hopefully and honestly in the end, but don’t bank on it, all though our initail anger is to blame this soldier, there are many questions that are and may remain unanswered, as the military itself may wish to keep its own back yard clean, and this young man may be used as a scrap goat to cover up the short comings within the U.S military, so will justice in the end prevail I think not.

President Hamid Karzai wants justice as only an Afghan knows how, it is part of their tradition, they are real blood for blood people, this is just not going to happen, but in question to his trail will this trail be fair ? Although held in the states, will the witnesses of this village and the families be allowed to put forward their witness accounts on the events that happened that night? We wait and see, but it would seem a little unfair if this trail is based on this soldier’s testimony alone.

The repercussions of this event has now been clearly shown and whatever this soldier was thinking at the time, had he any idea the effect it was going to have elsewhere? The Afghans themselves? The relations of American soldier’s role in Afghanistan? The worlds view on the what the armed forces role play in Afghanistan is anymore? I would pay little heed to the Taliban withdrawing talks with the Americans as this was on the cards as it was, although the Afghan Taliban has pledged revenge for these killings! It is more to do with their dislike of president Barack Obama’s changing of the goal post on talks held with the Taliban, that the Taliban have withheld tougher talks with the Americans.

But one thing is sure it shows the cracks between president Hamid Karzai, the Taliban and president Barack Obama, president Hamid Karzai is demanding but is anyone taking any notice? The Taliban chose to ignore him, seeing his ruler ship and his government as un-illegitimate, and refusing to accept him in talks in their new office they hope to open in Qatar, president Barack Obama spends his time re-assuring president Hamid Karzai but at the same time ignoring him, president Barack Obama has no intentions of leaving Afghanistan immediately and only intends to withdraw as he sees fit, so in effect is belittling president Hamid Karzai ruler ship by saying we as the Americans are still the boss here, a president in power but in effect with no power, I think president Hamid Karzai’s demands that that armed forces now leave the smaller villages of Afghanistan and leave the Afghan armed forces to control these areas is in fact a good idea, it will prior to the American armed forces and NATO leaving give them an idea to how well the Afghan army cope with the situation while still be able to receive support from the Americans and NATO, it will be a bit late if once the foreign forces have left they find themselves being unable to cope and having no back up once it does go wrong, do it now let’s see how it goes and give the Afghan army the support if should go wrong.

Back to the rogue soldier giving what little information we have, the fact that we know that he served and was injured in Iraq including a head injury here, should we maybe learn to forgive, even under the day of judgement a person of an unstable mental condition cannot be held to account on the day of judgement, and should we not be looking to events and even the guilt of the system that lead that lead to this very unfortunate event? I see possibly a very ill man here being held to account, possibly imprisoned for the rest of his life or even facing the death penalty for an American army who failed in its duty to see the full extent of this soldier’s mental break down and prevent this loose cannon of going on the rampage in the first place.

My thoughts will always return to this event every time the dear old Bruce Springsteen plays his track "We take care of our own" and wonder just how far America will go to protect one of their own ?

AYSHA SADIQ-ALI. *_*

16/03/12

THE TROUBLE WITH AFGHANISTAN . . .

THE TROUBLE WITH AFGHANISTAN . . .

AN AFGHAN (PUSTOON) SAID ON A FRIENDS FACEBOOK, THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH AFGHANISTAN IS ITS  PEOPLE, I HAD A GOOD THINK ABOUT THIS & RESPECTING HIS OWN THOUGHTS, I THOUGHT AFGHANISTAN IS A UNIQUE COUNTRY, IT DID NOT WANT PROGRESS IT IS ALL PART OF THEIR CULTURE AND TRADITIONS, I HAVE OFTEN BEEN LEFT WITH THE THOUGHT THAT ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT THAT AFGHANISTAN MAY WELL BE JUST ONE COUNTRY TO SEE THE END OF THE WORLD THROUGH, IT HAS NEVER BEEN ONE TO CONCERN ITSELF WITH THE MODERN PROGRESSES THAT OTHER COUNTRIES THAT THINK MODERNISATIONS IS THE WAY FORWARD, HAS IT NOT STOOD THE TEST OF TIME JUST STAYING JUST AS IT IS? I JUST CAN'T SEE THERE BEING ANYTHING WRONG WITH MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO WATER, IRRIGATION, DRAINING SYSTEMS AND HOUSING IN AFGHANISTAN USING OLD AFGHAN TRADITIONAL METHODS IT WOULD HAVE GIVEN A LOT OF AFGHANS MUCH NEEDED WORK TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES, WHAT WE HAD INSTEAD WAS VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS THAT HAVE PUT A LOT OF HELP INTO HELPING AFGHANISTAN AND GAWD BLESS THEM, BUT I AM NOT SURE THE PRICE OF AFGHANS HAVING TO STAND BY AND LOSE THEIR SELF RESPECT HAS HAD THE DESIRED EFFECT MOST THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE, AFTER ALL ARE NOT THE AFGHANS PROUD PEOPLE, WHAT CAN ONE SAY AS FOR THE INTERVENTIONS OF FOREIGN FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN, PLEASE ! IS THE MORE DEATHS WE HAVE SEEN SINCE THEY ENTERED AFGHANISTAN BEEN WORTH THE PRICE ? TO A PISSED OFF AFGHAN I CAN ASSURE YOU THE ANSWER IS NO! AS FOR PAKISTAN AND THEIR SO CALLED FRIENDSHIP GIVE ME A BREAK, THE SO CALLED THREAT THAT THE AMERICANS ARE SO WORRIED ABOUT IS COMING THROUGH PAKISTAN BORDERS, AFGHANISTAN HAS NEVER HAD AND NEVER WILL HAVE ANY OUTWARD INTENTIONS OF ANY EVIL DOING TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD, THE AFGHAN TALIBAN WHERE THEY NOT WILLING TO GO INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE AFGHAN GOVERNMENT AT TIME OF 9/11 & WAS REJECTED BY PRESIDENT BUSH AS HIS INTENTION WAS TO MAKE AFGHANISTAN PAY, EH FOR WHAT ? WAS OSAMA BIN LADEN THE REAL INSTIGATOR OF 9/11? STRANGE BECAUSE EVERYTIME AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI NAME IS MENTIONED, IT IS FOLLOWED BY BELIEVED TO BE THE ONE THAT INSTIGATED THE 9/11 ATTACKS, GOD SAKE MAKE YOUR FUCKING MINDS UP, OK OSAMA BIN LADEN GLOATED, BUT HEY, SO DID I AND SO DID SO MANY OTHERS! UNDER PRESIDENT BUSH'S RULERSHIP REVENGE WAS YOUR ONLY INTENTION, ALL OSAMA BIN LADEN DID WAS TAKE YOU AND THE REST OF AMERICANS FOR A RIDE AND WHOSE FAULT WAS THAT? NOBODY BUT YOURS ! YOU AS IN THE AMERICANS WERE THE ONES TO GIVE THE PAKISTAN GOVERNMENT THE MONEY, WHO THEN IN TURN GAVE IT TO THE I.SI. WHO IN TURN GAVE IT TO THE TALIBAN, WASN'T THE LITTLE OLD OSAMA BIN LADEN NOT ON YOUR OWN PAYROLL ? AND THEN AFTER DID YOU NOT THEN MAKE A LOT OF INNOCENT AFGHANS PAY FOR YOUR OWN FUCKED UP MISTAKES, WHY DID IT TAKE YOU SO LONG FOR YOU TO REALISE WHAT THE REST OF US KNEW THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO FUEL PAKISTAN WITH YOUR MONEY, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE TAKEN FOR THE MUGS YOU ARE ! AND THEY DID DIDN'T THEY BECAUSE LITTLE OLD OSAMA BIN LADEN WAS NOT RESIDING IN AFGHANISTAN HE WAS SITTING COMFORTABELY IN HIS ABODE MAKING HIS EVIL PLANS FROM INSIDE PAKISTAN WHILE SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO A MILTARY INSOLATION, NICE ONE OSAMA BIN LADEN & THAT JUST ABOUT CHANGED THE WHOLE BALL GAME FOR AFGHANISTAN AND JUST HOW SAD IS THAT THE AFGHANS ONCE AGAIN SEE THE RULE UNDER THE TALIBAN AS EASIER OPTION THAN TO HAVE ONE MORE DAY OF THE FALSE HEART AMERICANS WHO ARE ON ITS LAND, WHO ARE ONLY THERE TO LOOK AFTER THEIR OWN BACKS, I FEEL SO SORRY FOR PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI, IT MUST BE LIKE CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO EVILS THE AMERICANS AND THE PAKISTANI'S, IT IS NO WONDER HE BY-PASSES PAKISTAN FOR AGREEMENTS WITH INDIA, WITH INDIA HELP I CAN HONESTLY SEE A BETTER FUTURE FOR AFGHANISTAN.

YOU KNOW YOU CAN NEVER CHANGE AN AFGHAN AND IT WAYS YOU CAN TRY BUT YOU WILL IN THE END NEVER SUCCEED, IT'S WHAT AFGHANISTAN IS ALL ABOUT, YOU WILL LEAVE AND SLOWLY BUT SURELY IT WILL JUST RETURN TO IT OLD WAYS, IT'S WHAT MAKES AFGHANISTAN THE UNIQUE PLACE IT IS. SO TIME TO MOVE ON OUT FUCKERS & IF YOU ARE REALLY SO WORRIED ABOUT THE REAL THREAT FROM LIKES OF AL-QEADA I SUGGEST YOU TRY TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BORDER OVER IN PAKISTAN WHERE THE REAL THREAT IF COMING FROM AND QUIT GIVING FUNDS TO CORRUPT GOVERMENTS OFFICALS WHO ARE IN TURN FUELING THE PAKISTAN TALIBAN THAT IN TURN ARE THE ONES ENTERING AFGHANISTAN AND CAUSING THE SHIT WITHIN AFGHANISTAN, THE PAKISTAN TALIBAN HAVE EVIL INTENTIONS OUT OF IT OWN COUNTRY NOT AFGHANISTAN, THERE IS STRONG DIVIDE BETWEEN THE AFGHAN TALIBAN WANTING CONTROL IN ITS OWN TERRORITY AND ITS OWN PEOPLE THAN AN PAKISTANI TALIBAN WHO WANTS TO BRING HAVOC TO IT NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES AND BEYOND, SORT THE BORDERS OUT AND SORT OUT THE PROBLEM, THE WAY IT IS GOING NOW YOU ARE JUST ABOUT MAKING EVERY AFGHAN PRAY FOR THE RETURN OF THE AFGHAN TALIBAN AS THE AFGHANS SEE THE TALIBAN AS THE LESSER OF THE TWO EVILS, SO NICE ONE IN THE END YOU HAVE SOLVED STUFF ALL, BUT IMPOSED ON THE AFGHAN WHY OF LIFE, ABUSED THEM, USE THEM, ROBBED THEM OF THEIR DIGNITY AND COST THEM THEIR LIVES, AFGHANISTAN IS THE ALL GREAT AMERICAN COCK-UP, YOU FAILED THE AFGHAN PEOPLE ONCE AND YOU ARE FAILING THEM ALL OVER AGAIN, I'M SURE THE KIDS OF TOMORROW WILL LOVE READING UP ON THIS ONE IN THE HISTORY KITABS OF THE FUTURE.

AYSHA SADIQ-ALI *_*;