{"articles":[{"reaction_config":[{"text":"Yes","color":"#624960","stance":"yes"},{"text":"Maybe","color":"#edb723","stance":"maybe"},{"text":"No","color":"#4ac6ec","stance":"no"}],"id":17629,"title":"Do You Want Trump to Pardon the Green Beret Charged With Murder?","html_content":"\n

by Causes | 12.18.18

What’s the story?

Last week brought news that Green Beret Maj. Mathew Golsteyn had been charged with murdering a suspected Taliban bomb-maker in U.S. custody in 2010. On Sunday, President Donald Trump tweeted that he’d review the case himself.

What did Golsetyn allegedly do?

Military investigators say Golsteyn defied orders to release the suspected bomb maker, and instead led him off base, executed him, and buried his body is a shallow grave.

What are both sides saying?

Military legal experts are questioning whether Trump may be exerting “unlawful command influence\"—a doctrine requiring the chain of command to detach itself from any military legal proceeding.
But retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Tata wrote in an opinion piece on Fox News that “Trump is perfectly within his legal authority” to float a pardon.

“Citizens and soldiers are innocent until proven guilty. It would be the height of irony to deny a combat veteran the constitutional rights that he so bravely fought for.”

Elliot Ackerman, a former Marine, and recipient of the Silver Star, wrote in the New York Times that “even a war hero is not above the law.”

“You are never allowed to summarily execute prisoners. Very few rules in war are black and white. But this one is.”

What do you think?

Should Trump pardon Maj. Mathew Golsteyn? Take action above and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

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Since the day you were born, that’s always been on the cards. Most of us find it easier to bury our heads in the sand. Avoidance is the #1 most popular coping strategy in the world. We live in denial of the self-evident fact that we all die eventually. The Stoics believed that when we’re confronted with our own mortality, and grasp its implications, that can change our perspective on life quite dramatically. Any of us could die at any moment. Life doesn’t go on forever. If you say that you won't vote in the general election if your candidate doesn't win the nomination, you're saying to millions of people you think their suffering is an appropriate price for your righteous indignation.\nThere is NO moral justification for sitting out this election. IRL I am an environmental hydrogeologist. I specialize in municipal stormwater management and karst groundwater systems. You can deny the effects of anthropogenic forced global climate change all day, but when your water well salts up, your streets and yards flood, or your house falls in a sinkhole or gets crushed by a landslide you will be calling me for help like I am the GD Batman.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"burrkitty","issue_count":139,"is_following":null,"influence_score":15110,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":511,"following_count":40,"position_count":986,"id":"8mrvqvpm","partner_id":null},{"name":"Linda","vote_count":500,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/jZBVyyXZ/following","followers":"/api/users/jZBVyyXZ/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":480,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":17,"following_count":0,"position_count":474,"id":"jZBVyyXZ","partner_id":"efa417af-11b4-4a08-9b10-fff245626400"}],"article_comment":{"flagged":false,"id":635221,"body":"The law applies to EVERYONE. Killing in battle is bad enough but murder cannot be condoned even for \"military heroes.\"","parent_type":"Article","parent_id":17629,"created_at":"2018-12-19T15:10:26.246Z","liked":false,"like_count":2,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/comments/635221","likers":"https://www.causes.com/api/v1/likers?likeable_id=635221&likeable_type=Comment"},"article_id":17629,"shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/comments/635221.png","note":{"text":"No","color":"#4ac6ec","stance":"no"},"note_text":"No","note_color":"#4ac6ec","user_id":"3W1JppnZ","liker_ids":["8mrvqvpm","jZBVyyXZ"]}}

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