Mutiny

Georgia's president, a post-Soviet darling of the Bush administration, is struggling with a buildup of Russian troops in breakaway territories and an angry opposition movement intent on driving him from power. Suddenly, the integrity of the armed forces is in doubt as well. The short-lived mutiny of a tank battalion Tuesday was another reminder of the instability that has racked Georgia since it was defeated last summer in a war with Russia.

The year Herman Wouk was born, Woodrow Wilson was in his first term in the White House, the Lusitania's sinking was on the front page and "The Birth of a Nation" was playing in silent movie theaters. In the 97 years since, with such books as "The Caine Mutiny," "Marjorie Morningstar and "The Winds of War," Wouk became a force in American letters, and in film and television as well. His latest novel, "The Lawgiver," tells the tale of a Hollywood struggle to make a movie about Moses. Wouk's modern story about the ancient and long-lived biblical hero unfolds via text messages, emails and plain old-fashioned letters.

Philippine prosecutors indicted 321 soldiers and junior officers suspected of involvement in last weekend's bloodless mutiny, and Interior Secretary Jose Lina accused an opposition senator of backing the uprising, which the government says was part of a larger coup plot. Opposition senators demanded that Lina present evidence to back up his allegations against Sen. Gregorio Honasan. He has denied involvement in Sunday's mutiny and was not present at the hearing.

Mutiny is a volatile but somewhat archaic term, usually only referenced these days in "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. But last year, NBA fans got a new introduction to the word when the Detroit Pistons started crumbling, with reports of a player mutiny taking place against then-Coach John Kuester. Kuester, now an assistant coach for the Lakers, heads back to the Motor City on Tuesday for the first time since he was fired in June 2011 from a team that, in some instances, openly rebelled against him. "I'm being honest with you, I wish them nothing but the best,” Kuester said.

Two shrimp boat crewmen were found guilty today of violent revolt on the high seas, murdering their captain and assaulting the first mate in the first case of civilian mutiny since World War II. The U.S. District Court jury deliberated less than four hours before finding William Rector, 21, and Billy Gossett Jr., 24, guilty of murder, conspiracy, mutiny and assault with intent to kill. Each defendant had blamed the other for the murder of Capt.

Mutinous soldiers surrendered after a one-day revolt in which they clashed with government troops, blocked roads with tanks and advanced on Kutaisi, Georgia's second-largest city. At least one soldier and four rebels were killed. The mutineers released hostages, including two government negotiators, and agreed to return to their garrison after talks with the negotiators. The leaders of the mutiny were charged with treason.

Ivory Coast was shaken by a military mutiny and spent its first night under curfew since the army seized power in December. Military ruler Gen. Robert Guei imposed the 7 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew after soldiers protested in the main city, Abidjan, and elsewhere, demanding money from the ruling junta for their role in the December coup. Soldiers in the streets fired in the air.

How about a musical based on "Mutiny on the Bounty?" At first glance, it sounds like an unwieldy project. At second glance, it sounds impossible. But it has actually been attempted, in London. "Mutiny!" is the title, with an exclamation point, and the London critics even attacked that. Michael Coveny in the Financial Times, for instance: "Musicals have to be really good to justify an exclamation mark. 'Oklahoma!' passed the test. 'Marilyn!' did not. Nor, I'm afraid, will 'Mutiny!'

Police captured six fugitive military officers linked to a 2003 failed mutiny against Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, officials said. The officers, along with a lawyer and another civilian, were seized from a house in suburban Quezon City. Ranulfo Ludovica, village chief of the Batasan Hills district, said the raiders recovered explosives, firearms, ammunition and military uniforms.

A military task force has recommended court-martial proceedings for mutiny and other charges against at least 45 junior officers in last month's alleged coup attempt, Philippine officials said. If found guilty, the soldiers could face life imprisonment. Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia told reporters that the officers include the mutineers' five alleged ringleaders.

When Herman Cain told his staff Tuesday that he was doing a "reassessment" of his campaign after new accusations of adulterous behavior, many pundits saw it as the beginning of the end for the onetime GOP presidential front-runner. Maybe, or maybe not. But if his alleged affair with an Atlanta woman does prove the straw that broke the Cain campaign's back, it will say something troubling about the conservative donors and voters who until now have supported him: They're less bothered by his woeful lack of knowledge about foreign affairs than his apparent inability to keep his trousers zipped.

Betty Sarah Wouk Wife and agent of 'Caine Mutiny' author Betty Sarah Wouk, 90, the wife and literary agent of bestselling writer Herman Wouk, died March 17 at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs after suffering a stroke, said Suzanne Stein of the BSW Literary Agency. Born Betty Brown in Grangeville, Idaho, on Oct. 17, 1920, she graduated from USC and was a civilian employee of the Navy during World War II. She met her future husband when the ship he was serving on, the USS Zane, was undergoing repairs in San Pedro.

Walter Seltzer, a Hollywood press agent-turned-producer who started out at MGM in the 1930s and made an enduring mark on the industry in the 1980s as a tenacious fundraiser for the Motion Picture and Television Fund, has died. He was 96. Seltzer died Friday of an age-related illness at the Motion Picture and Television Fund's retirement home in Woodland Hills, said Jennifer Fagen, a spokeswoman for the fund. His successful ad campaign for MGM's "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935)

Levi Kingston grew up in L.A.'s old Central Avenue district during its glory days. His father was a bellman at the historic, black-run Dunbar Hotel when W.E.B. DuBois and Duke Ellington stayed there. Over the years, Kingston's been a jazz musician, a merchant marine, an activist in the civil rights and peace movements, and a tireless advocate for the working parents of South L.A. Now Kingston, 71, is a child care provider hit hard by California's state budget impasse.

Silvan Johnson adores Sarah Palin, belongs to a conservative discussion group and fumes at President Obama's spending policies. But when it comes to picking a new congressional representative for her upstate New York district, she is in no mood to help the Republican Party. In fact, Johnson and many other conservatives want to use a Nov. 3 special election to teach the GOP a lesson about sticking to conservative values -- even though that lesson could mean the party loses a House seat it has held for decades.

Police in Georgia fatally shot a former military officer and wounded two men suspected of plotting a mutiny that embarrassed the government and fueled opposition demands for the president to resign. Protesters blocking Tbilisi's streets in the seventh week of an anti-government campaign condemned the predawn shootings, which took place when police stopped a van carrying the three men, suspected of leading the mutiny at a tank battalion base. The men had been heading for refuge in one of Georgia's rebel-held provinces, according to an Interior Ministry statement.

The Philippine army intelligence chief resigned after a failed weekend mutiny by junior officers and soldiers demanding reforms in the military. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said she accepted Brig. Gen. Victor Corpus' resignation. About 300 soldiers and officers who took over a ritzy commercial complex in Manila's financial district for 19 hours had demanded that Corpus quit.

About 60 Ukrainian crew members of a Black Sea Fleet patrol boat mutinied Tuesday, raising the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag and sailing to the Ukrainian port of Odessa to protest rough treatment by Russian superiors. Russian commanders of the Black Sea Fleet dispatched warships to head off the rebel vessel. But Ukraine's naval commander disavowed the mutiny, and negotiations were reportedly under way.

Two major debates face conservative Republicans about the future of the party. The first, rekindled by Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party, is whether the GOP should move further leftward. The second is whether conservatives should tone down their advocacy on social issues. History is on the side of outspoken conservatives in both debates. To learn where to position themselves, some big-government GOP loyalists are going on so-called listening tours.

Georgia's president, a post-Soviet darling of the Bush administration, is struggling with a buildup of Russian troops in breakaway territories and an angry opposition movement intent on driving him from power. Suddenly, the integrity of the armed forces is in doubt as well. The short-lived mutiny of a tank battalion Tuesday was another reminder of the instability that has racked Georgia since it was defeated last summer in a war with Russia.