Superintendent Conspired to Convict Cadet.
http://www.amazon.com/CONDUCT-UNBECOMING-Officer-Lady-Conviction/dp/1460978021
Admiral James Van Sise, Superintendent at the Coast Guard Academy, did more than make inappropriate comments concerning the Cadet Webster Smith case. On the day that rape charges were being dropped against the DUKE University Lacrosse players evidence was surfacing that strongly indicated that Admiral Van Sice orchestrated an organized conspiracy to convict Cadet Webster Smith. The big question still remains WHY? Why would a man with over 30 years of experience in the Coast Guard and at the top of his profession risk everything to convict an Academy cadet?
(THIS POST TEMPORARILY REMOVED FOR REVIEW by the author)
Admiral James Van Sise, Superintendent at the Coast Guard Academy, did more than make inappropriate comments concerning the Cadet Webster Smith case. On the day that rape charges were being dropped against the DUKE University Lacrosse players evidence was surfacing that strongly indicated that Admiral Van Sice orchestrated an organized conspiracy to convict Cadet Webster Smith. The big question still remains WHY? Why would a man with over 30 years of experience in the Coast Guard and at the top of his profession risk everything to convict an Academy cadet?
(THIS POST TEMPORARILY REMOVED FOR REVIEW by the author)
Labels: Cadet Webster Smith.
posted by ichbinalj at 6:23 PM
8 Comments:
Loved this thread since its start.
As a retired CG officer and former Academy instructor, totally agree with your hypothesis that ADM Brewski and CAPT Wiz acted against Webster Smith without any fear of repurcussions.
They are the product of a flawed and antiquated "sea service" legacy that continues today. They are served their meals at real china and siverware settings by "stewards" who enlisted in the Coast Guard only to become slaves to these masters. No wonder they act like they do. They feel entitled to do anything to anyone junior to themselves without having to answer for it. There are no checks and balances.
Even with the high visibility of this case, let's consider the outcomes. As of right now both the ADM and CAPT are still collecting very good paychecks as CG officers. Sure, CAPT Wiz got passed over for promotion to ADM for the first setback of his career, and ADM Brewski was relieved of command and suffered some humiliation and embarassment. Both will still retire and collect full benefits, while Webster Smith will remain a convicted sex offender unless his appeal is successful. No matter what happens there will be no justice for this young man.
Thanks for the thread and a chance to vent. Would like to think that your blog may somehow, someday contribute to some justice for Web.
An attorney for the Long Island native cleared of all charges in the Duke lacrosse sex scandal said yesterday it is now the Durham County district attorney's turn to face a criminal investigation - even as the embattled prosecutor said he was sorry for his bad decisions.
Collin Finnerty's attorney, Michael Cornacchia of Manhattan, wants North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley to initiate a criminal investigation of Michael Nifong and his principal Durham police investigators, Sgt. Mark Gottlieb and Inspector Benjamin Himan, along with Brian Meehan, director of a private DNA laboratory in North Carolina.
"It is our hope that the governor of North Carolina, now that the case is over, will appoint a special prosecutor to conduct a criminal investigation or will direct Attorney General Roy Cooper to appoint a special prosecutor," Cornacchia, a former assistant U.S. attorney, told Newsday.
In his first public comments in months about the case, Nifong released a three-paragraph statement yesterday that fell short of a complete mea culpa. In it, Nifong acknowledged that Cooper's dropping of all criminal charges against the three Duke players may not undo "the harm caused by the accusations," but also said he took issue with Cooper's condemnation of him.
"To the extent that I made judgments that ultimately proved to be incorrect, I apologize to the three students that were wrongly accused," Nifong said in his statement.
Nifong's apology was emphatically dismissed by attorneys representing each of the defendants - Finnerty, 20, of Garden City, Reade Seligmann, 21, of Essex Fells, N.J., and David Evans, 24, of Bethesda, Md.
Finnerty's father, Kevin, said, "I think his weak attempt at an apology is insincere and disingenuous. I think it falls way short of anything that might remotely repair the damage done to our family and to so many other people."
Evans' attorney, Joseph Cheshire, said it was no apology. "It's an excuse. "It's not an acceptance of responsibility. It's a self-serving attempt to excuse bad behavior," he said.
Although it appeared that Nifong was trying to defuse potential lawsuits in his statement - in which he said he hoped "that the actions of Attorney General Cooper will serve to remedy any remaining injury that has resulted from these cases" - his attorney, Freedman, said his client's motivations were sincere.
"The purpose of the apology is to express his feelings," said Freedman, who added that Nifong had a "real feeling of regret" over the hurt he caused the defendants.
Nifong faces possible disbarment as a result of the state bar proceeding. Freedman said, "We should let that process play out."
A disciplinary committee rejected a request Friday to dismiss ethics charges against the former prosecutor in the dismissed Duke lacrosse case, who is accused of withholding critical DNA evidence from the defense.
The decision by the three-member panel came shortly after an hourlong hearing, at which committee chairman F. Lane Williamson repeatedly challenged the arguments made by attorneys for Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong.
The North Carolina State Bar has accused Nifong with breaking several rules of professional conduct as he led the investigation into allegations three lacrosse players raped a stripper at a team party in March 2006.
Nifong's attorneys denied he intentionally withheld the DNA evidence, saying he provided the defense with a report outlining test results months before a potential trial and gave notice the lab director would be called as an expert witness.
That shouldn't matter, said bar counsel Katherine Jean, because Nifong knew about the test results before he even won indictments against the three players. It's possible, she said, that with less capable defense counsel they might have chosen to enter into a plea agreement, which is how the vast majority of criminal cases in North Carolina are resolved.
"It's scary when you think about a case like this case," Jean said. "These men might have pleaded guilty never knowing the DNA evidence was exculpatory. ... It's a scary concept."
The bar has also charged Nifong with lying to the court and to bar investigators, and for making misleading and inflammatory comments about the athletes under suspicion. Those issues were not addressed at Friday's hearing.
Nifong, who apologized to the three cleared players in a statement issued Thursday, could be disbarred if convicted. His ethics trial is scheduled to start in June.
There have been calls for Nifong to resign, but his attorney David Freedman said the veteran prosecutor has no intention of leaving office.
Brad Bannon, an attorney who represented one of the three players, said the men's families "want to see Mr. Nifong get what they believe he was ready to deny their sons, which is a fair hearing."
Also Friday, a defense attorney retrieved the $100,000 bond posted by each of the former defendants, said Jermaine Patterson, head bookkeeper with the Durham County Clerk's Office. The players were originally released on $400,000 bond, though a judge reduced the amount to $100,000 for each player last June.
For three lacrosse players at Duke University, the year-long ordeal of defending themselves against incendiary sexual-assault charges is over, the case dropped Wednesday after North Carolina's attorney general declared the three "wrongly accused." But it's not over for the broader campus community.
Concern about the alcohol-fueled party that provided the backdrop to the case prompted Duke administrators and faculty to undertake an introspective examination of campus culture – a process that is outlasting the case itself. It's forced a closer look at everything from the unofficial school motto – changed from "Work Hard, Play Hard" to "Work Hard, Play Well" – to ideas for closer supervision of student drinking to why 44 percent of black students had complained of racial discrimination by their sophomore year.
The notoriety of the case forced Duke to the front of academe in this evaluation of student life and campus culture. But colleges across the US are also soul-searching and refining policies in the wake of the case, recognizing that Duke is not the only campus where the confluence of race, sex, privilege, and booze could spark a scandal.
Very interesting and provacative stuff.
Dwayne
Admiral James Van Sice will retire 2 months ahead of schedule. According to a reliable source, the man who orchestrated the conspiracy to court-martial WEBSTER SMITH will be retired on 30 May 2007. That is 2 months ahead of the formally announced retirement date.
At the same time, the Coast Guard has requested an additional 45 to 60 days to render a decision in the criminal appeal of the court-martial that Admiral Van Sice railroaded through the military justice system.
It looks like Van Sice will get the boot before the appeal decision becomes public. That way the Commandant will not have to make a decision concerning whether to court-martial Van Sice. If the truth be told, there is ample grounds to convene a General Court-martial and give Van Sice his just reward.
It appears that all the rats are leaving a sinking ship, except Doug Wisniewski. One can only guess what they have in store for him. When the dust settles and he is the only one around, it is possible that this one will have to atone for the sins of many. I can't believe he is waiting around for the next admiral's selection board.Take it from some one who has waited for 5 selection boards, Doug,that ship will never come in.
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