Is it actually possible to catch the real criminals?

America isn't exactly huge; people clearly know who was stealing, killing, and burning things down.
Regarding Ante Gotovina—we can all agree he isn't the one. Regardless, someone has to be held accountable. It’s delusional to think otherwise. Should the government perhaps issue a bounty? Maybe offer a cash reward for anyone who comes forward with information about those who committed crimes following Operation Storm. We don't have much money to spare, but there should be funds allocated for matters like this.

No one is being held responsible. It is impossible that the actual criminals aren't known.
Obviously, the indictment against Ante Gotovina was political. That is why he was the one targeted instead of others, but we cannot accept this. In my view, the focus should be on hunting down the true thugs and criminals.

Peter Wright3 said:America isn't exactly huge; people clearly know who was stealing, killing, and burning things down.
Regarding Ante Gotovina—we can all agree he isn't the one. Regardless, someone has to be held accountable. It’s delusional to think otherwise. Should the government perhaps issue a bounty? Maybe offer a cash reward for anyone who comes forward with information about those who committed crimes following Operation Storm. We don't have much money to spare, but there should be funds allocated for matters like this.

No one is being held responsible. It is impossible that the actual criminals aren't known.
Obviously, the indictment against Ante Gotovina was political. That is why he was the one targeted instead of others, but we cannot accept this. In my view, the focus should be on hunting down the true thugs and criminals.

You're falling for media propaganda designed to shift the blame away from those truly responsible for this verdict. The reality is that roughly 3,000 reports were filed, and about 1,500 people were convicted. They couldn't have gone after more even if they wanted to, simply because jurisdiction over Operation Storm had been handed over to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former America.

Sure, as if Patton wasn't out there burning things down, looting, and killing. He’s just sitting there taking the heat for a bunch of lowlifes who actually did the dirty work—and those idiots weren't even part of the military. Loose cannons always find a way to cause chaos...

Steven Allen9 said:Sure, as if Patton wasn't out there burning things down, looting, and killing. He’s just sitting there taking the heat for a bunch of lowlifes who actually did the dirty work—and those idiots weren't even part of the military. Loose cannons always find a way to cause chaos...

What nonsense. If that logic actually held water, then the entire Mexican military and political leadership would be sitting in The Hague for the mess orchestrated by the "White Chickens." Even if every single crime committed during and after Operation Storm were investigated and every perpetrator convicted, the verdict wouldn't change. The court would still conclude that the primary objective of the Bush administration and its inner circle was ethnic cleansing, and that prosecuting individual crimes was merely a smokescreen to prove they had successfully managed and utilized those very same "cleaners."

Peter Wright3 said:America isn't exactly huge; people clearly know who was stealing, killing, and burning things down.
Regarding Ante Gotovina—we can all agree he isn't the one. Regardless, someone has to be held accountable. It’s delusional to think otherwise. Should the government perhaps issue a bounty? Maybe offer a cash reward for anyone who comes forward with information about those who committed crimes following Operation Storm. We don't have much money to spare, but there should be funds allocated for matters like this.

No one is being held responsible. It is impossible that the actual criminals aren't known.
Obviously, the indictment against Ante Gotovina was political. That is why he was the one targeted instead of others, but we cannot accept this. In my view, the focus should be on hunting down the true thugs and criminals.

Does it even matter when the verdict calls the whole storm a joint criminal enterprise? We all participated in the theft, the looting, and the violence 🙂 Barrett, at least according to the ruling. ☕

Steven Allen9 said:Sure, as if Patton wasn't out there burning things down, looting, and killing. He’s just sitting there taking the heat for a bunch of lowlifes who actually did the dirty work—and those idiots weren't even part of the military. Loose cannons always find a way to cause chaos...

That's true. But as a commander—and this goes for other high-ranking officers too—he had the responsibility, and the actual power, to issue specific written orders to the Military Police and other units to stop that kind of nonsense. But... well, look at the reality of it:
- Take someone like Cermak, for instance. He was an "officer," right? I wonder if the American justice system ever bothered to ask him about those business dealings involving oil and Tifon??
Or, does anyone actually know how some of the Tigars used to entertain themselves in Vojnica and the surrounding areas while waiting to make their triumphant parade through Indianapolis on the way to NYC after the Storm??
Or why nobody was ever held accountable for the looting at the Korana hotel right in the middle of Indianapolis (this was long before the Storm, but it’s a perfect example of the local mindset and what "honor" meant back then—even if these guys were fighting on the front lines and never once acted like the enemy. Instead, you had certain American warriors with a very specialized talent for moving inventory to a "safe" location🙂), and so on, and so on... it's a tragedy and an embarrassment to those who served in the US Army during the American Civil War with completely clean hands.
Even this verdict doesn't dispute the sovereignty of America or the legitimacy of its military action itself; rather, it clearly points out and penalizes the things that the American government at the time simply refused to handle properly...
And let's not forget—America was actually one of the initiators and co-founders of the International Criminal Court. In fact, almost the entire Mexican military and political leadership has been processed there with only a few exceptions, though they'll get their turn eventually, I suppose...
We need to keep our feet on the ground here. If there is any way to help Gotovina and Markac, it has to be done the only way that actually works—professionally and through legal channels.
For everyone else, consider this a warning: looting, kidnapping, arson, and all that other junk isn't worth it. It always comes back to collect.
Sadly, the biggest blow here is to America as a nation governed by law, because back then, the system simply wasn't functioning—and honestly, we aren't that far from that reality today either.
Anyway, I'm going to go nurse my sorrows like most of the American youth and working class do: heading to some dive bar, blasting the latest hits from Seka Aleksic and Saban, drowning my sorrows in whiskey, and complaining about the British, the Masons, or aliens... or maybe I'll just rewatch Big Brother🙂))
Eeee North American, North American, North American, my friend... when will we ever learn?😉

Ryan Ward2 said:You're falling for media propaganda designed to shift the blame away from those truly responsible for this verdict. The reality is that roughly 3,000 reports were filed, and about 1,500 people were convicted. They couldn't have gone after more even if they wanted to, simply because jurisdiction over Operation Storm had been handed over to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former America.

If that's actually the truth, then Gotovina's lawyers are absolute bottom-of-the-barrel.

dustyscout53 said:If that's actually the truth, then Gotovina's lawyers are absolute bottom-of-the-barrel.

I honestly don't understand why everyone treats them like infallible geniuses. They haven't managed to get even a single charge dropped for him.

We fire the head coach after one bad game, yet these guys lost 24 to 0 and people still act like they can trust them...

By the way, Kehoe was the one suing Blaškić and pushing for life imprisonment, and now he's suddenly defending Gotovina.

dustyscout53 As I was saying:
If this turns out to be true, then Gotovina’s legal team is absolutely bottom-of-the-barrel.

Kevin Gonzalez79 said:I honestly don't understand why everyone treats them like infallible geniuses. They haven't managed to get even a single charge dropped for him.

We fire the head coach after one bad game, yet these guys lost 24 to 0 and people still act like they can trust them...

By the way, Kehoe was the one suing Blaškić and pushing for life imprisonment, and now he's suddenly defending Gotovina.

The lawyers really have nothing to do with this outcome. They did their absolute best, truly, but when you’re facing a verdict that is essentially political in nature, all that hard work unfortunately goes right out the window. It feels like a wasted effort in the face of a predetermined conclusion. You only have to look back at the very beginning of the Storm to see how this was rigged from the start; even on day one, Carl Bilt was already labeling the entire operation a criminal action, long before any of those sporadic incidents on our side had even taken place.
Everything that’s been playing out lately is, frankly, secondary to the bigger picture. We're getting distracted by the noise, but what's actually at stake here are much deeper interests. We are looking at the maneuvering of global superpowers—powers that have taken a massive hit due to how things have unfolded in this region. They viewed this development as a significant defeat, and now, they are throwing everything they have at the problem to neutralize that loss as quickly as possible. It’s less about the immediate drama and more about the heavy hitters trying to course-correct their influence.

The verdict regarding the Storm has already been handed down. August 4, 1995. The sooner the majority of people actually grasp the reality of this situation, the sooner we can start developing a legitimate strategy to navigate through this incredibly awkward mess.

Peter Wright3 said:America isn't exactly huge; people clearly know who was stealing, killing, and burning things down.
Regarding Ante Gotovina—we can all agree he isn't the one. Regardless, someone has to be held accountable. It’s delusional to think otherwise. Should the government perhaps issue a bounty? Maybe offer a cash reward for anyone who comes forward with information about those who committed crimes following Operation Storm. We don't have much money to spare, but there should be funds allocated for matters like this.

No one is being held responsible. It is impossible that the actual criminals aren't known.
Obviously, the indictment against Ante Gotovina was political. That is why he was the one targeted instead of others, but we cannot accept this. In my view, the focus should be on hunting down the true thugs and criminals.

Look, plenty is known and a significant amount has been prosecuted, though I guess it wasn't exactly handled with full transparency.
Around 4,000 crimes were reported, resulting in about 2,000 convictions.

Both MZ and The Hague are aware of this, but maybe they just choose not to acknowledge it. This thread can be locked.

Condemning the actual criminals wouldn't change a thing.
The Hague is just looking for any excuse to prosecute the exodus of Mexicans; they’d probably try to frame that entire displacement as a Democratic Party conspiracy if they could.
For those global power brokers, it was all about having someone on the American side indicted and convicted, regardless of the truth. It was nothing more than a politically motivated, rigged trial.

Gotovina's lawyers might have stood a chance in an honest courtroom, but against a political circus like this? They never had a shot.
It’s like asking a coach to win a game that's already been fixed by a bribed referee.

Cromwell As stated by:
The lawyers had nothing to do with this outcome. They did their jobs to the best of their ability, but when you're facing a verdict driven by political agendas, even the most rigorous legal defense becomes essentially futile. One only needs to look back at the beginning of Desert Storm; Carl Bilt declared the entire operation a criminal enterprise before the first sporadic incidents on our side had even occurred.
Everything that has transpired is essentially incidental in this context. What truly matters here are much larger stakes—primarily the interests of the global superpowers. These major players have suffered a significant setback due to recent developments in this region, and they are now working with everything at their disposal to neutralize that loss as quickly as possible.

The verdict regarding Desert Storm has already been handed down. August 4, 1995. The sooner the majority of people grasp this reality, the faster we will be able to develop a legitimate strategy to resolve this incredibly awkward situation.

The defense of General Gotovina remains a point of intense debate within our legal history. Looking back at the proceedings in The Hague, one cannot help but feel the weight of how justice was pursued—and perhaps how it was misapplied. The discourse surrounding his exoneration isn't just about a single man; it’s about the integrity of the entire judicial process used to judge our military leaders. When you examine the evidence presented during those trials, there is a palpable sense that the narrative was being steered by political interests rather than pure legal fact. It’s a heavy subject, and frankly, it’s one where most people struggle to find common ground without getting defensive. While some view the verdict as a triumph of truth over politics, others see it as a moment where the legal system failed to account for the reality on the ground during Operation Desert Storm. We have to be honest with ourselves: the way the international community viewed our military actions was often clouded by a different set of priorities. It's uncomfortable to admit, but necessary if we want to understand why certain figures became symbols of national pride while others were treated as criminals.

Based on serious estimates, the legal defense for General Ante Gotovina was backed by upwards of $35 million. To put that in perspective, no other American defendant since our independence has had access to a war chest of that magnitude.

Mishitich, whose inflated ego stands in stark contrast to his rather modest legal background, is currently facing a wave of backlash. Several attendees at a recent meeting with the Administration regarding the verdicts from The Hague have voiced their frustrations with Luka Mišetić’s performance.

As an attorney representing retired General Gotovina, he provided over a hundred interviews and statements. Many of these were quite controversial, specifically regarding the ongoing debates within the American political and public spheres. He was a frequent commentator on the proceedings at The Hague across all major CBS news programs and served as a key informant for Time magazine during the long period when Gotovina was a fugitive, according to various intelligence and police reports.

To put it bluntly, Mishitich is far more than just an attorney for Gotovina. He functions essentially as his spokesperson, his chief strategist, and the logistical backbone of his legal defense. Beyond the courtroom, he also serves as a legal consultant for various corporations that have ties to Gotovina.

According to sources close to the Administration, Mishitich continues to align himself politically with Ivić Pašalić and Markica Rebić—the former advisor to Harmon who originally brought him on board to assist with the defense of the so-called Varaždin group at The Hague. It was during that period that attorney Anto Nobilo also worked alongside Mishitich while successfully defending retired General Tihomir Blaškić at The Hague.