Robert Bales (Guilty)

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Why are we trying Bales? In the article “fReeBale-Yes!” English professor Michael Fisher introduces his readers to a recent crime committed by a US Army soldier who allegedly shot and killed 16-17 innocent lives while deployed on a tour in Afghanistan. Fisher states that Staff Sergeant Robert Bales should plead guilty for the charges against him whether he committed them or not. I personally respect Fishers argument although I strongly believe Bales has already established a foundation for a path towards his own freedom by receiving the right to be tried in the US rather than the country his crime was committed in. Fisher proposes valuable points about the possible outcome of this trial if Bales was to be set free by the American court system. I believe this complication could be bypassed by the US if they would simply allow Afghanistan to try SSG Bales for the crime he committed on their own soil. Allowing Bales the right to be tried in America was the first mistake made by our nation’s justice system. According to Fisher, Bales would be needed to “grab the pooper scooper to our nation’s justice and “bail” us out of this one.” Our nation has allowed this voluntarily, jeopardizing their own reputation for the rights of a criminal. Removing Bales from Afghanistan to be tried in the US has provoked worldwide controversies between countries in the Middle East against the US. Not only does our nation face possible retaliations from Afghanistan, we also lose our relationships with these countries. Giving Bales the opportunity to stand in an American court room is rather contradicting, being that America is the leading promoter of “world peace.” Our nation is in a predicament that could have been avoided, this was the initial mistake. In 1995, three service members of the US were charged with the rape of a 12-year old girl in Japan. The men were tried by the Japanese
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