I just want to point out that the military is not monolithic in regard to its treatment of rape and rape victims. My old unit took any allegations serious as SHIT. Domestic abuse, too.

I need a drink. Or five.

Any other exclamations? "Mind-boggling...insane...incredibility unusual..." and the old crutch-when-you-can't-write "shit."

Now that we know your position on an issue in which all you know about it is what you've read from someone else's reporting, how about acting the reporter you might claim to be and tell us why - exactly, precisely - the conviction was erased. Really, even a hint, could you trouble yourself to give us a hint?

Was it possible this was a clearly wrongful conviction, say, and was made right? Jesus, if you're going to grab something off the net and throw it up there in a tirade, lazy as that is, at least try to give more than half the story.

I think it's worth pointing out that judges can overturn jury convictions in the civilian system too, if the judge finds that the evidence presented at trial was legally insufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt (e.g. the only evidence presented was a custodial confession).

That being said, this does seem different in that the Lt. Gen. Franklin seems to have simply weighed the evidence differently (and considered different evidence) than the jury did, and decided he disagreed with the jury's decision. It's also kind of chilling that he reportedly considered a letter "in support of Wilkerson [that] came from a friend of the accuser."

Um, where's the Commander in Chief in all this?

SLOG's definition of rape:

The night in question, March 24, began with a concert and drinks at a base club and ended with an impromptu gathering at the Wilkerson home.

The accuser stayed behind after the other guests left. She testified she woke in a guest bedroom to find Wilkerson touching her. She said the incident ended when Wilkerson’s wife walked into the room and ordered her out.

The Wilkersons have maintained the lieutenant colonel never left his own bed that night. Beth testified she got up about 3 a.m. and told the woman to either go to bed or go home because she was walking around the house and noisily talking on her cellphone. The woman left.

@ 5, um, this is outside his purview. Asking the Sec'y of Defense to investigate is the right call.

http://www.stripes.com/news/air-force-pi…

Wilkerson, 44, the former 31st Fighter Wing inspector general was accused last March by a 49-year-old physician’s assistant of groping her breasts and vagina as she slept in a guest bedroom at the Wilkerson home after an impromptu party.

#8

Sounds like a case of Army vs. Air Force rivalry.

My quote from:

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2013/0…

And the story continues...

Over the next several months, the woman said her friend gave varying accounts of what happened that night. She suggested her friend may have made up the story because her contract at work was up for renewal and an “inappropriate alcohol-related incident” could jeopardize it. The woman asked Franklin to reconsider the conviction and “provide an opportunity for justice for the Wilkerson family.”

Ooopss...sounds even worse than I thought. False accusations to hurt a person for economic gain.

Who would have thought that could ever happen.

No. Not here. Not now.

@Menace: rape much?

Bailo, are you really REALLY giving us accounts from the Air Force?

Isn't that a little like trusting a police newspaper to recount correctly a case of police brutality?

I got to watch AFN (Armed Forces Nettwork) for two years while stationed in Algiers, and I'd say a good 40ish percent of all the advertising slots were aimed at sexual harrassment/rape prevention. The ads are all made by the military for military consumption, and each branch had its own set of ads, detailing what constituted harrassment and rape, what the consequences are (presented as very harsh), and tons of numbers and email addresses that a person who is assaulted could use to report rape. The victims rights and the legal procedures for reporting were also covered in great detail, including the options to press a case anonymously or to take it to court. I am not military myself, but their satellite network really tries very hard to make their audience aware of the issue, and to make information about reporting as easy to access as possible.

I can't speak to how well the military justice system handles cases once reported.

Invisible War was an amazing documentary. Its a must-see.

@11: false rape accuse, much?