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The Source: The Commander's Role In Military Justice | Painters Before Time

Official U.S. Navy Imagery
WASHINGTON (June 4, 2013) Military service chiefs testify about sexual assault in the military before the Senate Armed Services Committee. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade/ Released)

In the first segment:

The response to sexual assaults among military personnel has been so derided recently that a new pentagon report out showing a 46 percent increase in sexual assaults means more debate is inevitable with possible legislation to follow.

Reforms being touted by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, would remove the decision to proceed in a case involving serious offenses  -- including sexual assault -- from the chain of command completely.

The proposal has the Department of Defense and several prominent legislators bristling. Good order and discipline, they would argue, are the highest goal in the military justice system.  
Hardy Professor of Law at St Mary's University David Schlueter believes removing the commander from the decision making process could have negative repercussions. Schlueter served as a JAG officer for more than a decade and wrote a white paper last week for the Senate Armed Services Committee opposing the reforms as they have been laid out this month.

Amos Guiora was a judge advocate in Israel, where the chain of command is separate. He wrote a recent op-ed for NYtimes.com advocating for the separation command influence from these decisions.  He joins us from his office at the University of Utah, where is is a law professor.

In the second segment:

Credit Paul Flahive/TPR
Lower Pecos Rock Art found at Seminole Canyon State Park, TX

131113-source-painters-prehistory.mp3

The Witte Museum's ongoing exhibition of Lower Pecos rock art has been inspiring people for years. It published it's first book on the subject in 1986, "Painters in Prehistory," exploring the culture and narratives surrounding the 12,000-year-old art works.

Now Trinity University Press has released an updated version of the research. New interpretations of the life and artifacts of these ancient Rio Grande peoples fill its pages.

Editor and Archeologist Harry Shafer joins us on the source along with Witte President Marise McDermott to talk about the new edition.

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