hxxp://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=31293&archive=true

Michael J. Brown, 42, was arrested at his brother’s home in Laurel, Md., on a charge he kidnapped an 18-year-old high school student from a flea market in Milton, W. Va.

They could protect the border of the US instead of wasting tax payer money in Japan. Oh, I know why, that makes sense and puts the true Americans interests first.

When it comes to the topic of what makes the headlines, it's not just about the severity of the crime but also who committed the act.

Look at Paris Hilton's DUI case or Eliot Spitzer's prostitution case; the crime itself is defiantly not worth the headline. (Believe me, I hate those extensive coverage that takes away airtime which should have been spent for much more important issues.)

It must be tough to be in such a spot, but looking at those cases you've cited, servicemen stationed overseas seem to be in the celebrity / government official / important person category.

It is unfair, but that's the nature of the media.

The current Yokosuka murder case should clearly be news, but when a servicemember has a domestic dispute with his Japanese wife should that make headlines? In Korea a soldier brushed a woman's shoulder with his car mirror and that made headlines.

When all these minor incidents continuously make headlines that creates the perception of out of control US military crime when the statistics clearly show that is not true.

Don’t you see the flaw in your logic???

Any crime committed by a foreign force is going to draw attention no matter what the surrounding situation is.