Target Centermass

Day: September 27, 2005

  • Just Back from the Serenity Screening

    Just a quick review tonight, followed by a longer write-up tomorrow and a little on my evening playing the role of the press.

    First thoughts: Serenity is quite an impressive piece of science fiction that I heartily recommend. There was action, humor, intensity, plot and quality, unforced dialogue aplenty — quite possibly enough of each to distribute among all three of the Star Wars prequels and salvage each of them. The audience surrounding me, a mixture of longtime fans of the Firefly television series that served as the movie’s foundation and those like myself, newcomers to the world we were being shown, certainly seemed receptive, relishing the multiple laugh-out-loud moments and wrapping up the flick with an enthusiastic round of applause.

  • England Convicted, Awaiting Sentence

    As if the overly-publicisized photos weren’t enough, there’s finally a guilty verdict to the case of the Abu Ghraib scandal’s poster girl.

    Army Pfc. Lynndie England, whose smiling poses in photos of detainee abuse at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison made her the face of the scandal, was convicted Monday by a military jury on six of seven counts.

    England, 22, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating detainees and one count of committing an indecent act. She was acquitted on a second conspiracy count.

    The jury of five male Army officers took about two hours to reach its verdict. Her case now moves to the sentencing phase, which will be heard by the same jury beginning Tuesday.

    England tried to plead guilty in May to the same counts she faced this month in exchange for an undisclosed sentencing cap, but a judge threw out the plea deal. She now faces a maximum 10 years in prison.

    I’m glad the smitten-moron defense didn’t carry the day. Now, I hope for the maximum penalty for a woman who did everything she certainly knew was wrong. Granted, she had no clue what the impact on global affairs would be, but she certainly knew the UCMJ and her lawful orders.