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2A April 29, 2004 National World Pentagon angered by photos from military mortuary By RANDALL GHASE e Associated Press DOVER, Delaware - A website published dozens of photographs of American war dead arriving at the nation’s largest military mortu ary, prompting the Pen tagon to order an infor mation clampdown.The photographs were released two weeks ago to First Amendment activist Russ Kick, who had filed a Freedom of Information Act request to receive the images. Air Force officials ini tially denied the request but decided to release the photos after Kick appealed their decision. After Kick posted more than 350 photo graphs on his Web site, the Defense Depart ment barred the further release of the photo graphs to media outlets. “They’re not happy Jackson’s next mission: Iraq By ED WILEY 111 BET.eom Staff Writer ' The Rev. Jesse Jackson, say ing he has gained the “cooper ation of the on-the-ground religious leadership” in Irag, told the families of American hostages Monday that he would like to help negotiate their freedom. Freeing the hostages is a “moral responsibility” and not “a sign of weakness,” said Jackson, who has a long list of successes in gaining the release of captured Americans. Keith Maupin, an Army reservist, and Thomas Hamill, the Mississippi truck driver who was working for Hal liburton, were captured by Iragis in a string of interna tional abductions over the past month, a period which also saw nearly 100 U.S. troops killed. In a videotape released by Arab television sta \ o T P ” _: }_v‘.‘. . ;fi’ i i 3 ‘;" g-! ’ i & '.p;" <o Jesse Jackson with the release of the photos,” Dover Air Force base spokesman Col. Jon Anderson said. The photos were taken at the Dover base - home to the mortuary— and most of the images are of flag-draped coffins. Defense Department rules prohibit media coverage of human remains arriving at Dover, and Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Gary Keck said release of the mortuary photos appears to be in conflict with department policy. Defense officials said the purpose of the poli cy is to protect the pri vacy of the soldiers’ families — not to cir cumvent or violate the Freedom of Information Act or any other law. “Quite frankly, we don’t want the remains of our service members who have made the ulti tion Al-Jazeera, Maupin was surrounded by several armed, masked men who said they were willing to swap him for Iraqi prisoners held by the United States. Jackson told CNN that a prisoner exchange “must not be out of the picture.” But National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, the most vociferous defender of the Bush administration’s pol icy in Irag, was quick to respond. “I think you can be certain that negotiating with terrorists is not on this president’s agen da,” Rice said on Fox News Sunday. However, Thomas Hamill’s wife, Kellie, apparently famil iar with Jackson’s record of securing hostage releases, solicited the reverand’s help, The Associated Press report ed. Mississippi Republican mate sacrifice to be the subject of any kind of attention that is unwar ranted or undignified,” said John Molino, a deputy undersecretary of defense. At a rally in Dover last month, war protesters criticized President Bush for continuing the practice of previous administrations of not allowing the public or media to witness the arrival of remains at the base. “We need to stop hid ing the deaths of our young; we need to be open about their deaths,” said Jane Bright of West Hills, California, whose 24- year-old son, Evan Ashcraft, was killed in combat in July. Telephone and e-mail messages to Kick were not immediately returned Thursday, April 22, Sen. Trent Lott put Jackson in contact with the family, according to AP . Jackson successfully negoti ated the release of Navy Lt. Robert Goodman from Syria in 1984 and three years later negotiated the release of 48 Cuban and Cuban-American prisoners. He also brought home hostages from Iraq and Kuwait in 1990 and again in 1999 during the Kosovo con flict. Last week, Jackson met with BET.com editors and, in a wide-ranging interview, addressed what he said was the presidents failed policy in Irag. “The United States went into Iraq virtually alone, with one mind, and scored the world for not following us,” Jackson told BET.com. “We sought to isolate the UN; we sought to divide Europe. We went in without them; we cannot get out without them. “The price they want us to pay to help us get out is they want to be with us at the bar gaining table for Iraqs recon struction, and we are too arro gant to allow them to do so. Unless there is a radical change in this position, we will be losing this war big time, drop by drop.” Jackson contrasted the Iraq invasion with U.S. involve ment in World War 11. “After World War 11, when people saw us coming, they saw hope and freedom, and there was jubilation,” he said. “Now they see fear, threats, intimidation and occupation, and they are fighting back. We are in a quagmire now. We can't leave, and we can't say.” AUGUSTA FOCUS In a related incident, a cargo worker was fired Wednesday, April2l, by a military contractor after her photograph of flag-draped coffins bear ing the remains of U.S. soldiers was published on the front page of Sunday editions of The Seattle Times. Tami Silicio, 50, was fired by Maytag Aircraft Corp. ter military offici aised concerns abou e photograph taken in Kuwait, said William L. Silva, May tag president. Silicio took the photo graph in a cargo plane about to depart from Kuwait International Airport earlier this month. She sent the photo to a stateside friend who provided it to the news paper, which then obtained permission from Silicio to publish it. Act Two of Michael Jackson casé features new cast of lawyers %LINI.)A DEUTSCH Special Correspondent LOS ANGELES (AP) - Act Two of the Michael Jackson child molestation case gets under way this week with a new cast of lawyers taking center stage. “My life is at stake,” the pop star said as he announced firing his two high profile lawyers, Mark Geragos and Benjamin Brafman. At the counsel table when court reconvenes Friday will be Thomas Mesereau Jr., a well known advocate whose work on behalf of the downtrodden and minori ties was a selling point for the superstar who has been involved in fund raising for NuMeErous causes. Mesereau also is a veteran of a star trial, having repre sented actor Robert Blake in 2 murder case for the past year before they had a falling out. Sitting beside Mesereau will be Steve Cochran, Jack sons longtime lawyer, and Robert Sanger of Santa Bar bara, who has represented Jackson in lawsuits in the county where his Neverland ranch is located. From his statement, it appeared that Jackson broke with Geragos because of the famed attorney’s representa tion of Scott Peterson on charges that Peterson mur dered his wife, Laci, and their unborn child. Jackson felt that Geragos’ involvement in that trial, which is in jury selection, was taking up too much of fi T e Sty 1 ",':.::: . Ws o 4« ;R s e L \ { E.:‘ 9 - s » ” gz' % IR | : X . g !'«" ; , 3 P '::::‘\ s S R e e | ; p : o &= g .l { . r e i | ] Photo by U.S. Air Forcethememory.org Coffins of U.S. military personnel are prepared to be’ offloaded at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware in’ this undated photo. The U.S. Air Force, in response to a- Freeclom of Information Act request, released to Web site http://www.thememoryhole.org on April 14 more than 300 - photographs showing the remains of U.S. service mem bers returning home. The Pentagon tightly restricts pub lication of photographs of coffins with the remains of U.S. troops and has forbidden journalists from taking pictures at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the first stop for the bodies of troops being sent home. his time. “It is imperative that I have the full attention of those who are representing me. My life is at stake,” Jackson said. “Therefore, I must feel confident that my interests are of the highest priority. I am innocent of these false charges, and will aggressively seek to clear my name. “I feel very confident that when I am able to defend myself, I will be exonerated by a jury of my peers,” Jack son said. Jackson, 45, is free on $3 million bail. He was origi nally charged with seven counts of lewd or lascivious conduct involving a child under 14 and with adminis tering an intoxicant, report edly wine, to a child under 14. Brafman, one of New York’s top criminal defense attorneys, declined to com ment on Jackson’s state ment, as did Geragos. - “I have not replaced my defense team,” Jackson said. “I have replaced the lead attorneys. And, contrary to reports, this is a decision that I have personally made.” The statement which said flatly that Geragos and Brafman were “terminated” came a day after the lawyers said they voluntarily “stepped down” from the case for reasons they would not discuss publicly. In a hearing Monday afternoon by conference call, Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville approved the substitution of lead counsel. : The change comes less’ than a week before Jackson is due in Santa Maria Supc-; rior Court for arraignment. on a grand jury indictment.' Behind the scenes, sources said that yet anoth-% er attorney had been direct-. ing the negotiations that led to the dismissal of Geragos and Brafman. ' Brian Oxman, a Jackson' family attorney who has; been close to Jackson’s brother, Randy, was described as having been' “*at the highest level in thc; negotiations.” Oxman had worked with’ Mesereau and knew of Jack son’s desire to have him as’ his attorney. An earlier’ approach to Mesereau was rejected because he was still representing Blake. With the return of a grand jury indictment last week, Jackson began to re evaluate his team. “This is a new case now, a new proceeding,”said Oxman. “This is totally Michael’s decision. He’s concerned with everything. He'’s very passionate about this. He is a smart man, a good man. He is innocent and he’s going to show he’s innocent.” Defense attorney Harland Braun, who was replaced by Mesereau in the Blake case, said it is not unusual for Hollywood stars to change lawyers in mid-case. “Think of it as politics,” said Braun. “A candidate often changes managers in the middle of a campaign.” |