Some of you may have heard about this case on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell tonight:
The epidemic of rape in the military may have finally reached a turning point with the case of Lt. Colonel James Wilkerson. After being convicted by a military jury last November of aggravated sexual assault, and sentenced to a year in jail, Wilkerson was set free by Lt. General Craig Franklin, who dismissed the case using power granted to commanders in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
“My heart is beating fast right now, I am so upset with this,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill at an Armed Services Committee Budget hearing last week. ”The victim in this case wasn’t a member of our military. I question now whether that unit that [Wilkerson] returns to, whether there’s any chance that a woman who’s sexually assaulted in that unit would ever say a word, because what that general just said is that jury’s decision didn’t matter.”
This action on the part of Lt. General Craig Franklin is unacceptable, and far more serious than the misconduct that led to the dismissal of Stanley McChrystal. To whit, the following petition has been posted at the White House's site:
WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
Dismiss Lt General Craig A. Franklin for improperly overruling a court's conviction of an officer for sexual misconduct.
Lt General Craig A. Franklin, a U.S. Air Force Commander, improperly overruled a military court jury’s decision that found Lt. Colonel James Wilkerson guilty of sexually assaulting his subordinate, a woman service member who serves in the Air Force as a physician’s assistant. The assault occurred while the victim lay sleeping.
Wilkerson was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to a year in jail, dismissal from the air force, and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. The prosecutor said that Wilkerson had shown hubris and recklessness by assaulting the woman with his wife and young son sleeping under the same roof.
As Commander in Chief, President Obama has the authority to dismiss Lt. General Franklin for his poor command decision, and he should do so immediately.
Created: Mar 12, 2013
Take a little time, do your own research, and if you agree that Franklin should face dismissal for a really poor command decision, then
click this link to go to the White House site and sign the petition. Please help spread the word, as we only have until April 11, 2013 to reach 100,000 signatures in order to have the Obama administration address this issue in writing.