Gay man attacked by two marines in Georgia / FBI and Justice Dept ponder filing Hate Crime charges

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Cpl. Keil Joseph Cronauer, 22 (left) and Lance Cpl. Christopher Charles Stanzel 23 (right)

Two Marines have been arrested [misdemeanor battery charges] for allegedly beating a gay man in Savannah, Georgia. Keil Cronauer and Christopher Stanzel are accused of attacking Kieran Daly so badly that he suffered bruises on his brain, reports the Savannah Morning News. In addition to the bruises, Daly suffered two seizures immediately after the attack. His friends performed CPR. While Cronauer and Stanzel told police that Daly was harassing them, Daly explained that the two were mad because they thought that he had winked at one of them. The Morning News reports: "The guy thought I was winking at him," Daly said. "I told him, 'I was squinting, man. ... I'm tired.'" Daly said one of the men told him he demanded respect because he served in Iraq. And at least one hurled slurs at him as he tried to walk away."That's the last thing I remember is walking away," Daly said. Because Georgia is one of just five states that does not have legislation requiring stiffer penalties for hate crimes, the marines were released to military police. The station reports that Cronauer and Stanzel are based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina and are currently restricted to the base.

There are many sad things in the story, but the most perplexing question for me is why aren't these Marines in a brig and just merely confined to their base? This story during Gay Pride month confirms for me precisely the need for hate crimes laws: states and localities refusing to treat these cases in a serious manner. The FBI and Justice Dept are looking into the possibility of filing charges under the recently enacted Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Source.

Here's more information, and check out their commanding officer's reaction to all this. It will make your blood boil!

Comments

[telemann.livejournal.com]

*Snicker*

That's not all you do.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Ha! Good catch.

[chessdev.livejournal.com]

no one has a right to tell the military what to do

BULLSHIT. The military is answerable to Congress, the Constitution, and the laws of the land.

Your idea the military is seperate from society is flawed.


We do not believe their lifestyle fits into the military

Luckily you do not establish that. The PEOPLE and their laws dictate what fits into the military.


I believe that being gay is a choice.
No, ATTACKING PEOPLE is a choice. That is the only choice that matters here.

Noone cares if they **like** gay people, but they damn well better keep their hands of them, or anyone else they decide "doesnt fit" into their world view.


and no, I would NOT be surprised how many military dont want this. However, YOU may be surprised at how many **do**, or do not care.

I think you're confusing your personal bubble of like-minded friends as "the world".

[montanaisaleg.livejournal.com]

If they are convicted then no I will not support them.
Ok, let's say there's irrefutable evidence that the victim's flirted with these guys, they asked him to stop, he didn't so they beat him up. Maybe there was a bystander with a video camera who caught every detail of the events. Then say the case got dismissed because of some technicality. They're absolutely guilty, even admit to it, but they get off free and clear because, I dunno, the arresting cop mispronounced a word when reading them their rights. Would you support them then?

If they were harassed and warned the guy then so be it what happened, happened.
Let's say a female friend or relative of yours is at a bar. She flirts with a guy in a military uniform, who says "I'm not interested" or "I'm married." Or maybe she's just unattractive or annoying or something. Doesn't matter. He's not interested. Despite his request that she back off, she keeps flirting with him. He finally gets sick of it and punches her square in the face, full force. You would, I assume, be ok with this and defend the guy who was being harassed.

Re: Article 133—Conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman

[verytwistedmind.livejournal.com]

This is not conduct becoming of an officer. There is simply no justification for this heavy handed cruelity. If these men were being harrassed they had legal recourse. Their lives were not in dangers, there was no physical confrontation, they attacked this man from behind.

If your husband beat up a homosexual for making a pass at him, would you still respect him? Would he still be a good example to your children?

[kawaiimamimi.livejournal.com]

I can't wait until some creeper winks at me while I'm out at a bar so I have an excuse to completely beat the shit out of him. Apparently it's a legitimate enough excuse.

Re: Article 133—Conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman

[usekh.livejournal.com]

If those two soliders had been hitting on a lesbian, and she waited until their backs were turned before beating the shit out of them, would you support her?

[usekh.livejournal.com]

I believe that being gay is a choice
Again I ask, if sexuality is a choice when did you chose to be heterosexual?

and no one has a right to tell the military what to do
Unless you support a military dictatorship then you bet we have a right to tell them what to do.

I still wonder how a conservative and a Christian can support someone breaking the law and violence quite so readily. These words you use I don't think they mean what you think they mean.

Re: Article 133—Conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman

[chessdev.livejournal.com]

Technically they're not officers -- they're enlisted if I remember right.

That said, Code of Conduct still applies.

[bikinisquad3000.livejournal.com]

I believe that being gay is a choice.

Here's a gay guy telling you that you're 100% wrong about that, and that's the way it is. It's not a choice. If it was I wouldn't be gay. Period.

Re: Article 133—Conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman

[miss-katelynne.livejournal.com]

Having been in the military myself, I can tell you for a fact that your words and actions reflect on your husband just as much as if he said/did them himself. Think about that!

[miss-katelynne.livejournal.com]

Nice to know some Christians practice what they preach!!

[lets-eat-babies.livejournal.com]

Homosexuality is not a choice. I know this may be a little difficult for you to wrap your head around but try applying a little logic to it. Why would ANYONE intentionally "choose" a lifestyle that would subject them to constant belittlement and harassment from people like these marines that you so fully support? (read: people like you)

The man they hit was a civilian so Don't ask Don't tell really doesn't have anything to do with this attack, but it does bring up an interesting point: when Don't ask, Don't tell finally goes away, your husband is going to be presented with a choice. Should he stay and be uncomfortable around the gays or should he leave?

He doesn't want to serve around homosexuals? Tough shit. Get out:)

[usekh.livejournal.com]

Do I believe being gay is a choice? Absolutely.
Are you gay?

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

'If the man was harassing them then he deserved it.'

Deserved it? Really? Unless it was just a lucky one punch hit that could fuck a dude up and give him seizures, how do you figure that?

There's never a reason to beat a person into poor physical health unless you've no other option. Flip him off, sneer, tell him to go fuck himself, threaten him... but beat him till he's unconcious? Nah.

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

If you live long enough, you'll find most people are morally defunct. Some just do a good job of never being put into a situation where it's apparent. Or they're just never called on it.

Most keep it to such a popular focus that their moral hypocrisy is just accepted.

[luxinthemachine.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about how I manage my time. If I were you, I'd try to live my life myself and not vicariously through my husband and children. And I'd probably try to figure out why people have such venomous reactions to me. I can tell you why, though - because you are ignorant and hateful and the two make you truly difficult to listen to. I would worry about what it says about me that I believe that if violence happens it is justified by the fact that it happened. Not only is that logically unsound, it really shows how bigoted and unchristian you are.

[la0wai.livejournal.com]

I have gay friends.

try sharing your opinion with them and see if they remain your friends for much longer.

[jblaque.livejournal.com]

Being black is a choice!

[rainynights.livejournal.com]

if your gonna be rude and hateful please dont.. if not your more than welcome to.

[montanaisaleg.livejournal.com]

We all have our moral transgressions and hypocrisies, but "he deserved it because he was annoying (and gay)" is an especially abhorrent position to take. I'll never claim to be perfect, but I will claim to be a much more moral person than someone who defends actions like those described in this post as they've been defended in the comments.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Made notes.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Good quote.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

See, I'm not a liberal (we don't even have liberals in my country) and I also disagree with you. Is that strange?

This is not about liberals and conservatives.

[chessdev.livejournal.com]

Let's not replace what DID happen with a hypothetical.

The wink made them mad because they thought he was gay -- it's pretty ludicrous to pretend they would have acted that way because of the wink itself...