What Law?
It's becoming increasingly evident that this is an administration that has no regard for law, but they've really outdone themselves this time.
A top Air Force lawyer who served at the White House and in a senior position in Iraq turns out to have been practicing law for 23 years without a license.
Col. Michael D. Murphy was most recently commander of the Air Force Legal Operations Agency at Bolling Air Force Base in the District.
He was the general counsel for the White House Military Office from December 2001 to January 2003, and from August 2003 to January 2005. In between those tours, he was the legal adviser to the reconstruction effort in Iraq, an Air Force spokesman said.
Murphy later served in 2005 as commandant of the Air Force Judge Advocate General's School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.
He was relieved of his command at Bolling on Nov. 30 after the Air Force learned that he had been disbarred for professional misconduct in Texas in 1984 but hadn't informed his superiors, according to Air Force Times, an independent newspaper that first reported the action. It said that his status was discovered in the course of an unrelated review.
Murphy could not be reached for comment yesterday. Don Manuszewski, an Air Force spokesman, said that it would be inappropriate to comment because the matter is under investigation.
Murphy's exposure is the second major embarrassment to Air Force lawyers in recent years. In 2005, Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Fiscus, then the service's top lawyer, was demoted to colonel and subsequently retired after he was found to be having inappropriate relationships with subordinates.
For anyone who doesn't recall this, the Air Force Academy has been embroiled in scandal recently for its religious rightwing coloration.
A military study of the religious climate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs found several examples of religious intolerance, insensitivity and inappropriate proselytizing on the part of Air Force officers and cadets, but a report issued yesterday at the Pentagon concluded that the school is not overtly discriminatory and has made improvements in recent months.
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some personnel were concerned about the impact of religious affiliation on their careers and some cadets expressed objections to what they perceived to be mandatory prayers at official functions and in locker rooms.
"Additionally, some faculty members and coaches consider it their duty to profess their faith and discuss this issue in their classrooms in furtherance of developing cadets' spirituality," according to the 40-page document.
The report came after allegations that officers at the academy promoted evangelical Christian beliefs and were insensitive to cadets who were of a different religion or chose not to practice a faith.
If you read Diane's post earlier, guess what, these kooks are getting lots of social programs directed their way, and it happens not to be a direction that the constitution, protestant religion and our founding fathers wanted to happen. But if our 'nation of laws' under the 'rule of law' is not even run by those licensed to practice it, we're in pretty deep trouble.
I don't need to tell you again that Attorney General Gonzales is distinguished for having gone along with the Cretin in Chief's signing statements which disagree with constitutional law and process. I suppose it's downright trivial to have a law degree or a license to practice law, if you're there to overturn the laws of the land.
I am very hopeful that a congressional scrutiny of this administration will begin in January, and the disregard of law will be brought to an end.
A top Air Force lawyer who served at the White House and in a senior position in Iraq turns out to have been practicing law for 23 years without a license.
Col. Michael D. Murphy was most recently commander of the Air Force Legal Operations Agency at Bolling Air Force Base in the District.
He was the general counsel for the White House Military Office from December 2001 to January 2003, and from August 2003 to January 2005. In between those tours, he was the legal adviser to the reconstruction effort in Iraq, an Air Force spokesman said.
Murphy later served in 2005 as commandant of the Air Force Judge Advocate General's School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.
He was relieved of his command at Bolling on Nov. 30 after the Air Force learned that he had been disbarred for professional misconduct in Texas in 1984 but hadn't informed his superiors, according to Air Force Times, an independent newspaper that first reported the action. It said that his status was discovered in the course of an unrelated review.
Murphy could not be reached for comment yesterday. Don Manuszewski, an Air Force spokesman, said that it would be inappropriate to comment because the matter is under investigation.
Murphy's exposure is the second major embarrassment to Air Force lawyers in recent years. In 2005, Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Fiscus, then the service's top lawyer, was demoted to colonel and subsequently retired after he was found to be having inappropriate relationships with subordinates.
For anyone who doesn't recall this, the Air Force Academy has been embroiled in scandal recently for its religious rightwing coloration.
A military study of the religious climate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs found several examples of religious intolerance, insensitivity and inappropriate proselytizing on the part of Air Force officers and cadets, but a report issued yesterday at the Pentagon concluded that the school is not overtly discriminatory and has made improvements in recent months.
******************
some personnel were concerned about the impact of religious affiliation on their careers and some cadets expressed objections to what they perceived to be mandatory prayers at official functions and in locker rooms.
"Additionally, some faculty members and coaches consider it their duty to profess their faith and discuss this issue in their classrooms in furtherance of developing cadets' spirituality," according to the 40-page document.
The report came after allegations that officers at the academy promoted evangelical Christian beliefs and were insensitive to cadets who were of a different religion or chose not to practice a faith.
If you read Diane's post earlier, guess what, these kooks are getting lots of social programs directed their way, and it happens not to be a direction that the constitution, protestant religion and our founding fathers wanted to happen. But if our 'nation of laws' under the 'rule of law' is not even run by those licensed to practice it, we're in pretty deep trouble.
I don't need to tell you again that Attorney General Gonzales is distinguished for having gone along with the Cretin in Chief's signing statements which disagree with constitutional law and process. I suppose it's downright trivial to have a law degree or a license to practice law, if you're there to overturn the laws of the land.
I am very hopeful that a congressional scrutiny of this administration will begin in January, and the disregard of law will be brought to an end.
Labels: Democracy, Dirty Tricks, habeas corpus
posted by Ruth at 10:23 AM
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