Guantanamo gives bin Laden driver just 5 1/2 years
In this image reviewed by the U.S. Military, Dep. Chief Defense Counsel for Office of Military Comissions Harry Schneider, left, and retired Lt. Comdr. Charles Swift, defense attorney for Salim Hamdan, stand together during a press conference, at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, in Cuba, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008. A U.S. military jury sentenced Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's former driver, to just 5 1/2 years in prison, a surprise rebuke to Pentagon prosecutors who portrayed him as a member of the al-Qaida leader's inner circle worthy of a life sentence. (AP Photo/Maura Axelrod, Pool)
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) — A U.S. military jury sentenced Osama bin Laden’s driver Thursday to just 5 1/2 years in prison, a surprise rebuke to Pentagon prosecutors who portrayed him as a member of the al-Qaida leader’s inner circle worthy of a life sentence.
Salim Hamdan, with credit for time served, will be eligible for release in less than five months, though U.S. authorities still insist they could hold him indefinitely without charge at Guantanamo.
The judge, Navy Capt. Keith Allred, called Hamdan a ‘‘small player,’’ and the jury apparently agreed, rejecting the recommendation of 30 years by prosecutors who said even a life sentence would be fitting in order to send an example to would-be terrorists.
‘‘I hope the day comes that you return to your wife and daughters and your country, and you’re able to be a provider, a father and a husband in the best sense of all those terms,’’ Allred told Hamdan at the close of the hearing.
Bush dedicates new massive US embassy in Beijing
.JPG)
BEIJING (AP) — Speaking on China’s turf the very day it hosted the opening of the Olympic Games, President Bush on Friday prodded the communist country to lessen repression and ‘‘let people say what t
» Full StoryKenya, Tanzania mark decade since US embassy bombs
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Douglas Sidialo woke up in a Nairobi hospital 10 years ago, devastated to find he had been blinded by flying glass after al-Qaida bombed the American embassies in Kenya and Tanza
» Full StoryPakistani ruling coalition moves to oust Musharraf
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — After months of internal bickering, Pakistan’s governing coalition announced Thursday it will seek to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, cranking up pressure on the U.S.
» Full StoryMauritania coup commander leads march in capital
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — The general who masterminded Africa’s latest coup appeared in public for the first time Thursday, leading a triumphal march on the streets of Mauritania’s capital and dec
» Full StoryGreat Escape veteran Eric Dowling dies at 92
LONDON (AP) — Eric Dowling, nicknamed ‘‘Digger’’ for helping excavate tunnels used in the breakout from a World War II German prison camp that became known as the ‘‘Great Escape,’’ has died.
» Full Story
Class of 78 Reunion
Sheep Show 7/25
Hypnotist, Costumes, etc
2008 Sandsations
Fair Queen Contest 7/24
Bucket/Bottle Calves 7/25
Dairy Show 7/26
Beef Show 7/26