Navy SEAL trials moved to Iraq

There is an important update on the legal plight of three U.S. Navy SEALs, which this blog has been following closely. The three SEALs, who captured wanted terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed, are charged with making false statements to investigators about an alleged punch thrown by Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, who is also charged with assaulting the "alleged victim."

Today, WAVY-TV reports two of the SEALs won a victory of sorts, when a military judge ruled they would have the right to face their accuser in court:



That means their trials will be moved to Iraq, where Abed once brutally murdered four Blackwater security contractors, dragged their bodies through the streets, and hung the remains of two victims on display. Instead of being given medals for their heroic actions in capturing this al Qaeda-linked butcher, Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe and Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Julio Huertas are headed back to the war zone to again confront the terrorist. McCabe's hearing is on Wednesday.

While the SEAL case has received attention from WAVY-TV, a Norfolk, Virginia, affiliate, other local outlets, and independent military newspapers, the national media remains mostly silent on the baffling legal ordeal these three elite servicemembers are facing. Despite some scattered examples of decent segments on Fox News and CNN, the petitions being filed and legal defense funds being raised have been met by the sound of crickets from most American press outlets. The New York Times and Washington Post for instance, have barely covered the story.

When is the media going to step up, show a sense of patriotism during wartime, and ask tough questions to officials who refuse to drop these charges or give a rational explanation for why giving a terrorist a fat lip during a dangerous raid is a crime? While the aforementioned outlets that have given at least some attention to this case deserve credit, there needs to be consistent reporting. I would also like to hear what Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the commander-in-chief, President Barack Obama, have to say about the case. Is there not one lonely reporter somewhere assigned to get some answers?