openpolitics.com

Justice, In and Out of Uniform

Although Wuterich ordered his squad to “shoot first and ask questions later,” he was allowed to plead to a single count of negligent dereliction of duty, and his punishment amounted to only a reduction in rank and a pay cut.

.. If our justice system is a reflection of our society, why have we treated David Petraeus so differently from Jeffrey Sterling, and the marines at Haditha so differently from the Blackwater contractors at Nisour?

.. But as many commentators have pointed out in comparing Petraeus and Sterling’s cases, certain people are more likely to be punished. “If you’re politically well-connected or powerful, you don’t have to worry about being charged with espionage or leaking,” Jesselyn Radack, of the Government Accountability Project, told the Associated Press.