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Saturday, June 7, 2014
Open Thread
So, what's on your mind?
Here is your chance to vent, but please observe the guidelines below.
1. Any use of profanity or abusive language
2. Off topic comments and spam
3. Use of personal invective
4. We do not respond to anonymous comments
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All of the crazy rightwingers who are suggesting that Bergdahl be executed for desertion are even more batshit crazy than it might seem at first. Even if he WAS guilty of desertion (which is EXTREMELY DOUBTFUL at this point),
ReplyDeleteMoreover, in 1974 President Gerald Ford signed a conditional amnesty for Vietnam War deserters, if they agreed to two years of public service in some other capacity.
And, finally, the lone soldier convicted in connection with the My Lai massacre of Civilian Vietnamese villagers during Vietnam -- Lt. William Calley -- had his sentence reduced to House arrest and then finally commuted to time served by President Nixon after 3 years.
And, to make this even more pertinent, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who plead guilty to murdering 16 Afghan Civilians in their homes, was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Obama was right to bring Bergdahl home, and while everyone else cries "FOUL!" or "UNBELIEVABLE!", I just sit and nod my head... Nothing these Teabagger do or say surprises me anymore.
In other words, the batshit rightwingers want to impose a sentence on Bowe Bergdahl that is a) unsupported by any evidence; b) hasn't been imposed on a US Soldier in 70 years, and only once in 140 years; and c) more harsh than what was imposed on convicted mass murderers of civilians.
But that was the hand we were dealt when Bush pulled all our military and intelligence assets out of Afghanistan so he could go avenge his Pappy in Iraq and make his pals over at Halliburton rich.
Quit using charged rhetoric and indulging on childish name-calling. Shut up and try LISTENING once e in a while -- you might learn something.
DeleteI said this several days ago, and by God I'm going to say it again in the hope it might penetrate -- not only your thick skull -- but several others too numerous to mention:
Good points have been made on both sides about the handling or possible mishandling of Sgt. Bergdahl's return, but overemphasis of any bit of evidence primarily to score points for a particular "side" results in distortion of the truth, which does no lasting good.
When both sides do that, both are EQUALLY wrong.
Even if Sgt. Bergdahl really IS guilty of desertion and possibly treason, it has been extremely unwise and distasteful -- not to say IMPOLITIC -- for Conservative elements to jump on this and beat it to death right now.
ReplyDeleteHere is why you DONT negotiate with terrorists ! Period.
A Taliban commander close to the negotiations over the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl told TIME Thursday that the deal made to secure Bergdahl’s release has made it more appealing for fighters to capture American soldiers and other high-value targets.
“It’s better to kidnap one person like Bergdahl than kidnapping hundreds of useless people,” the commander said, speaking by telephone on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. “It has encouraged our people. Now everybody will work hard to capture such an important bird.”
The commander has been known to TIME for several years and has consistently supplied reliable information about Bergdahl’s captivity.
The U.S. agreed on May 31 to exchange five Taliban commanders from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for Bergdahl, America’s only living prisoner of war. Following the deal, the outpouring of relief by those who had long lobbied to “Bring Bowe Home” was soon eclipsed by accusations and recriminations as Republican lawmakers accused the administration of making a dangerous precedent.
“WHAT DOES THIS TELL TERRORISTS?,” Republican Senator Ted Cruz said on ABC’s This Week the day after Bergdahl’s release. “That if you capture a U.S. soldier, you can trade that soldier for five terrorist prisoners?
President Barack Obama continued to defend swapping Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban militants Friday, telling NBC News’ Brian Williams that he would do it again despite the public controversy that has followed> How do you like them apples?
North Korea says it is holding an American tourist
DeleteExcerpt from Official: Bergdahl Details Don’t Add Up, Was A Cash Ransom Paid Too?:
ReplyDeleteReported details of the high-profile prisoner swap that freed Bowe Bergdahl over the weekend are not telling the full story, according to a high-level intelligence official involved in efforts to find and rescue the Army sergeant.
The Haqqani Network, a terrorist group operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, freed Bergdahl on Saturday after holding him captive for five years in exchange for the release of five Guantanamo Bay prison inmates.
A senior intelligence official with intimate knowledge of the years-long effort to locate and rescue Bergdahl told the Washington Free Beacon that the details of that exchange do not add up.
The official, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, speculated that a cash ransom was paid to the Haqqani Network to get the group to free the prisoner.
The full article is HERE.
My thoughts and Prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones while searching for that Bastard
ReplyDeleteThe state of immigration control under the Obama administration:
ReplyDeleteObama Now Funding Attorneys to Help Illegal Aliens Avoid Deportation
Yes, that headline is real. You have not gone insane, although we wouldn’t be surprised if you did, given the utter lawlessness of this administration.
Texas is being overrun by illegal aliens at the highest rates in U.S. history. More than 47,000 unaccompanied minors have been caught in the first five months of this year, a 92% increase over the same time period in 2013 . Obama is also dumping thousands of those illegals into Arizona, as payback for the crackdown on illegals by Gov. Jan Brewer and Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
The Obama Administration is working hand-in-hand with Central American governments to engineer this deliberate, unprecedented invasion of illegal aliens. La Raza groups are spreading the word that Obama will sign administrative amnesty. And nations like El Salvador and Honduras are urging women and children to make the grueling trek to cross the U.S. border, because Obama will never deport them, and they can receive jobs and taxpayer-funded welfare for life.
Obama has requested $2 billion — not to deport the illegals from this unprecedented invasion — but to house, clothe and feed them, and even deliver them to relatives already here illegally, so they can stay here indefinitely....
Much more at the above link.
What happens to deserters?
ReplyDeleteTen years ago this month, U.S. Marine Wassef Ali Hassoun disappeared from Camp Fallujah in Iraq. After a five-month military investigation, he was charged with desertion and theft, brought back to Virginia’s Quantico Marine base and then transferred to North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune for trial.
Yet, a full decade later, Hassoun is as free as a bird. The accused deserter’s whereabouts are unknown. No trial ever began. No punishment ensued. And our leaders in Washington don’t seem to be doing a thing about this.
http://bunkerville.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/guess-what-happened-to-marine-deserter-wassef-ali-hassoun/
In the GOOD Ole Days a deserter would be put against the wall in front of a Firing Squad
ReplyDeleteBut even if Bowe Bergdahl were to be convicted for desertion from his post prior to his “capture” by the Taliban nobody would even think him facing the death penalty.
I know that there are various penalties for varying definitions of desertion and or AWOL, and I understand that the death penalty is not even a consideration, and I’m ok with that, however, I would like to see this guy imprisoned for a long time for what he did. And I’m sick of hearing these Liberal’s pleading his case because of their love for Obama. Let it sink in to these Liberal’s sick minds that their Messiah has released five of the most dangerous terrorists in the world. And these lunatics are capable of doing anything.
Look. At. Yourselves, you selfish bastards, look at the disgusting think your Hero Obama has done. You all are morally bankrupt hypocrites, is this what this country has finally become?
As for Gun Control, Shame on legislators, Shame on the Republicans, Shame on the Teabaggers, Shame on Foux Noozz - in thrall to the NRA - for turning decent and peaceful neighborhoods into lawless wastelands. When the NRA pushes gun rights to this extreme, what recourse to you have? Lawsuits? Vigilante justice? You ConServeItives are no longer funny, only Stupid!.
ReplyDeleteI think the right's response to the Bergdahl repatriation has been disgraceful.
ReplyDelete1. The story that men died looking for him has been debunked. The right doen't seem to care.
2. The Congress, especially the comical McCain/Graham/Ayotte triumvirate turned on a dime from their previous position. Ayotte (R - Graham's fag hag) had been calling for Bergdahl's release only last week.
The opportunity to use an event to slam Obama trumps all decency on the right.
3. Somehow the right came up with the meme that we don't negotiate for hostages. That was pretty quickly rebutted.
4, Bergdahl's parents are different, yes. Very strict Calvinist fundamentalists who live a bit off the grid.
He has a beard and speaks a smattering of Pashto. He must be a Muslim.
Does the right check under the bed ever night for Muslims. It's really ridiculous and the act is getting old.
5. Do we know why he walked away? It had happened before.
All I can say is read the Rolling Stone article on the incident or at least seek out some alternate source to Fox News. It's a complex matter. But we like our answers real easy in America.
6. The right rushed to call the five released, the worst of the worst. They were also inaccurately called terrorists.
Do these five command some kind of loyalty that is going to strengthen the resistance. Shouldn't questions like that be answered before the right wing screech machine roars into action.
It's been a pretty sorr performance on the right.
But it hasn't been debunked. The fact remains that in that entire area, US forces were pulled from scheduled security missions, in order to conduct search operations for Bergdahl after his desertion. Some of our men died during those search operations.
DeleteYou're correct though on the labeling....and it's getting worse. In the never ending pursuit of media sensationalism, Fox's Arthel Neville yesterday called the released Taliban detainees 'some of the most dangerous terrorists n the world'. Please.
No different than saying Bergdahl served with 'honor and distinction'.......
Debunked by whom, Ducky? Salon? Rolling Stone?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure those sources are impeachable; more so even than the six members of Bergdahl's platoon who are capable of giving first hand testimony. I find it interesting that as you accuse the right of rushing to judgment, you are doing the same ... and without the slightest credibility.
I can assure you that Private Bergdahl will have his day in court: “Oyez, oyez, all persons having business before this honorable court are admonished to draw near and give their attention.” Indeed, they will have our complete attention.
Even Krauthammer is calling for the right wing to pull back on this.
DeleteI believe the supreme irony in McCain's position is that he was freed in a swap. His current temper tantrum is due to not being in control rather than any sound doctrinal position.
The examples of prisoner exchanges including Americans throughout history. To say we don't negotiate is just being contrary.
The writer of the Rolling Stone piece who was also interviewed on Democracy Now! (I know, scary commies) is an Afghanistan combat veteran with knowledge of the immediate area where Bergdahl walked off.
But why take in multiple sources. Just use the z method, put your fingers in your ears and yell, La-la-la.
So do you have a guaranteed credible source, mustang?
There is no need for your normal obtuseness Ducky; the unimpeachable sources will reveal themselves during the trial —unless the leftist president pardons him. It is laughable that you have nothing good to say about Krauthammer (ever), yet now run to him looking to solidify your position. Now of course, you may continue your screed with respect to McCain (whom I have never forgiven the North Vietnamese for releasing), but in doing so you perpetuate your standard faire. This matter is one for the judiciary to resolve, not idle banter in the blogosphere.
DeleteIt's been worse than disgraceful. It's downright anti-American.
ReplyDeleteThe hatred for "Obama," that change in American culture that is coming whether the right likes it or not, washes over everything else for this crowd now. Patriotism, jingoism, nationalism, conservatism - all out the window if there's a chance to rage at Obama. Frothing psychotic paranoid rage.
JMJ
What Amazing Chutzpah These Libs like Jersey Have. Coming Here to Spread Their Lies, Hatred, and Bull-Crap!
ReplyDeleteLots of projection taking place.
DeleteThis whole thing stinks, you don't have to be a Rocket Scientist to figure that out...
ReplyDeleteJust wait about another week for another new scandal to occur, I'm losing count of all the scandals that the liar-in-chief has had and NEVER held accountable because of the color of his skin.
ReplyDeleteI for one thing that it's high time that this clown be held accountable for his high crimes against this country, and charge him with Treason. We have a banana republic DICTATOR wannabe in our White House--not a President. The Progressive Socialists in this country and the Radical Islamics have a "marriage of convenience", working together to destroy the United States and wipe out freedom
B.O. disrespects D-Day by chomping gum while the 1st Wookiee stayed home chewing her cud!
ReplyDeletehttp://weaselzippers.us/188765-obama-chomps-on-gum-during-d-dad-anniversary-event/
If a preponderance of the electorate had ANY respect for this Nation those scumbuckets would still be in Chicago!
Running against former President Bush's image, the Obama campaign promised that his election would restore America's image in the world.
ReplyDeleteNow we have this:
1." 'America cannot do a damn thing': Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei taunts President Obama claiming he doesn't have the guts for a military attack.
2. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has taunted President Barack Obama, claiming that the U.S. no longer has the guts for battle.
3. ....Ayatollah Ruhollah Khamenei, the 74-year-old Shiite Muslim cleric proclaimed that 'military attack is not a priority for Americans now.'
He stood on a podium amid banners boasting 'America Cannot Do a Damn Thing' as he reacted to a speech President Obama gave to West Point last week.
4. ...Khamenei, second from left, called President Obama a chicken in a speech during a ceremony....
5. The gibe comes as President Obama is being critisised for negotiating with Taliban to swap five hardened terrorists for suspected deserter...
6. ....the supreme leader launched another verbal attack on America, claiming his country's struggle will only end when it defeats U.S.-led oppression.....'Battle and jihad are endless....
7. Enriched uranium provides fuel for nuclear generating stations but it is also, if refined to a high level, the key ingredient for atomic bombs.
8. ....Iran's declared civilian nuclear energy programme is a facade for seeking a weapons capability. Iran denies this but it has a history of hiding activity from U.N. nuclear inspectors."
Ducky! Thanks for mention! Can you please link what's been debunked? We all would really appreciate that.
ReplyDeleteWhat's hilarious is the White House saying "he wasn't a hostage, he was a prisoner" ...inferring we DO negotiate with terrorists for PRISONERS and THAT's different!
I don't know who in the rightwing media has mentioned firing squads for Bergdahl? I have never seen that.
Krauthammer, by the way, was said to have agreed with Obama on this by leftists on these blogs; he does NOT. He thinks Obama should have been honest and said what a terrifically LOUSY exchange this was but it was just something that we do because we don't leave soldiers behind. "I know this wasn't perfect, but it's what had to happen..."
WHO would ever WANT to leave a soldier behind? But when a guy deserts (proven, by the way) and gets guys killed (proven, by the way)? WOW.
I'd like links debunking that we also PAID the Haqqani network, too, please?
The VA scandal was getting worse...and SUDDENLY Bergdahl's too sick. How did they KNOW BERGDAHL WAS ILL? I keep asking that question and nobody answers. FINALLY, it came up on TV last night. HOW DID THEY KNOW?
Don't worry, folks; Obama is utter perfection and he does NOTHING wrong and we're all in this for politics; just follow the leftwing mantra and you can rest easier; It appears to be easier FOR leftwingers. (smile)
Oh Goody! An open thread! Long live freedom of expression, and cheers to the NSA analyst who watches this as we word process along at the AOW site.
ReplyDeleteBergdahl? A total waste of a tank of gas to pick the F-cker up. (No bad words used here. You are imagining it....)
Just wait for it. The POTUS will pardon his sorry arse. Susan Rice already told us that he served with "honor and distinction". That is not exactly what is conveyed on his video splash (es) over in Afghanistan, nor the story told by his fellow soldiers.... nor his martyr-complex email sent to his father.
Woof, Bow wow!
Tammy
Tammy,
DeleteI can see that you're "wound up." So am I!
Sadly, I have come to the following conclusion: if Obama pardons Bergdahl and/or if Bergdahl is not court martialed -- both strong possibilities, IMO -- this story will go away.
I see no way that Obama will allow a court martial to take place. Too risky for the Democratic Party.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/us/us-soldier-srgt-bowe-bergdahl-of-idaho-pow-vanished-angered-his-unit.html?_r=0
ReplyDeleteThe New York Times.
Notice the "arranged by Republican strategists" as if this is all about Republican strategy :-) Do any of you think the New York Times has EVER written "arranged by Democrat strategists" on ANY point like this.
The fun never quits.
Let's all please wait till Bergdahl returns and we can figure out what happened? Did you hear the WH spokeswoman say 'we don't know what happened until we can talk to Bergdahl, HE knows what happened that night.'
See, this is the naivitee we're suffering from now in America. HE knows and those six platoon members who were there who all agree, weren't? :-) You know, those guys who, for 2 months, were at base an hour at a time? The ones who said that, in that hour, they could shower, have a meal, or make an email? ...and then get back out there looking? Ya, that bunch. The liars, the "psychopaths", according to the Democrat strategist. The SWIFT BOATERS.
And you lefties don't call those kinds of terms bad enough that the Left ought to "back off of them?" WOW.
I guess those 6 amazing young soldiers were on FOX so they were lying, right?
This is a dangerous stupidity we're nursing from the Left...very sad.
"if it's on FOX, it's wrong". Talk about shutting down facts and THINKING.
Susan Rice; does she EVER LEARN, or is she, too, so sure the media will cover for her and the WH that she can say ANYTHING and ALL that matters is the public hears it....knowing most in the public don't question or ask for more information?> it's a tried and true political antic and it's worked very well for them. And it's as anti American as it gets. lies get us nowhere.
The only point that hasn't been debunked or brought into question, z, in the initial right wing reaction is the one point mustang seems to cling to. Bergdahl did walk away from his unit and should face charges. That isn't even being debated.
ReplyDeleteBut everything else the right wing has framed is foundering.
"Let's all please wait till Bergdahl returns and we can figure out what happened?"
But let's get upset because it was pointed out that Republican spin strategists ginned up the whole sorry initial story.
Just another right wing circus.
Good points on BOTH sides about the handling or possible mishandlong of Sgt. Bergdahl's return, but overemphasis of any bit of evidence primarily to score points for a particular "side" results in distortion of the truth, which does no lasting good. When both sides do it, both are equally wrong.
DeleteEven if Sgt. Bergdahl really is guilty of desertion and possibly treason, it has been extremely unwise and distasteful -- not to say impolitic -- for Conservative elements to jump on this and beat it to death right now.
@z --- The VA scandal was getting worse...
ReplyDelete------
You noticed that.
It's also something that can be managed. Improvements can be made. Witness Bernie Sanders bill in the Senate.
But that would mean Dems and Republicans got together and accomplished something. The Teabags can't have that.
No, better to gin up some nonsense about Bergdahl and his Muslim father that can play forever with no resolution. That's what passes for a political process on the right these days.
Everything out the window to rage.
ReplyDeleteJMJ
ducky...think what you will. Good luck to you. But, don't EVER accuse the Right of only getting one side of ANY story. You look utterly ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI said this when the anti-Bergdahl campaign first started to heat up. I repeated it several times since. I just said to Ducky above, and I'll say it again for added emphasis:
ReplyDeleteGood points have been made on both sides about the handling or possible mishandling of Sgt. Bergdahl's return, but overemphasis of any bit of evidence primarily to score points for a particular "side" results in distortion of the truth, which does no lasting good.
When both sides do that, both are equally wrong.
Even if Sgt. Bergdahl really IS guilty of desertion and possibly treason, it has been extremely unwise and distasteful -- not to say IMPOLITIC -- for Conservative elements to jump on this and beat it to death right now.
FT said:
ReplyDeleteEven if Sgt. Bergdahl really is guilty of desertion and possibly treason, it has been extremely unwise and distasteful -- not to say impolitic -- for Conservative elements to jump on this and beat it to death right now.
In theory, I tend to agree.
However, if we just go along without voicing at least serious concerns, Obama will continue to flaunt the rule of law and the bounds of the Constitution. Of course, he may do those things anyway.
Frankly, I am amazed that so many of Bergdahl's comrades in arms have said what they have said. This is atypical -- this condemnation of a man who "went missing." Furthermore, those soldiers who are speaking out about their own personal knowledge of Berghdal seem credible to me. I find it impossible to believe that all of them are lying!
Bergdahl enlisted. He was not drafted. If, once he got to Afghanistan in an active war zone, he decided that he wanted to be a conscientious objector, he should then have pursued the proper channels through the chain of command.
I recently spoke with a high ranking officer currently serving in the military. His view about the court martial of Bergdahl: "Won't happen." I did not ask this office as to the reason that he so believes. But something is seriously wrong when an officer who has so had confidence in the military and the military way is that demoralized.
The Left has painted any and all opposition to Obama's policies and official deeds as racist and vindictive. I do not deny that those attitudes exist. They do! But, in my view, something else is going on with this Bergdahl opposition -- something that causes me to gasp for air.
What kind of all-volunteer military force will America have in the future as a direct result of the Bergdahl-release debacle?
I don’t agree with FT at all. Americans have a right to their opinion and no one, not even FT, should rant whenever someone exercises that right. People didn’t wake up in the morning and suddenly, inexplicitly begin railing about Bergdahl ... the genesis of opinionated ranting was the press.
DeleteMoreover, I don’t see “conservative” elements jumping on this. What people are demanding is the answers to questions about the wisdom of releasing very high ranking Taliban commanders for a deserter, whose circumstances were self-imposed, and then compounding this fiasco by paying off Haqqani elements with taxpayer money, without even so much as a by your leave from the US Senate. All Americans should be jumping up and down about this ... as it is their right to do, and their responsibility to do.
Dear, AOW, it's hard to believe that even you have missed the main point of my painstakingly constructed observations.
DeleteOnce more with feeling:
As a TACTIC in the political games we are obliged to play the bombastic overemphasis on the Bergdahl issue -- by FOX News in particular -- too easily gives "us" the appearance of doing exactly what "we" have always despised the Left for doing.
We thus leave ourselves open to charges of hypocrisy, naked partisanship, bigotry and mean-spirited pettiness.
I am only acting as a messenger. If no one hears, heeds or even wants to TRY to understand, because they hate my guts for whatever reason their eternally self justifying, fiercely bigoted mentality has conjured up, it's their loss, and -- as the saying goes, -- "no skin off my nose."
If the Right wants to keep on losing elections, by all means let it continue doggedly treading the path to Oblivion on which it has so firmly set its course.
As for me, even more than I deplore murder, rape, vandalism, theft, extortion and -- yes -- even TREASON, I despise most of all the LYNCH MOB mentality. More even than that do I detest the INSTIGATORS of Mob Rule.
Self-righteousnes run amok is the most dangerous capacity humanity possesses. It is the very thing that nailed Christ Jesus to the Cross.
FT,
DeleteI didn't miss the point, though. I stated that I agreed in theory.
There is indeed a perception that GOP-ers and Conservatives are out to get Obama. There is also clearly the perception that Dems and the Left will excuse him no matter what he says or does. In other words, there is the inevitable element of partisanship, which has long been with us.
FYI...I very rarely watch Fox News. In fact, I did not first get information about the Bergdahl "rescue" from FNC. I heard disturbing details on CBS Morning News and on CNN. I also read the web and the WaPo.
What started me doing research related to the Bergdahl rescue was the "press conference" in the Rose Garden. I was watching television at the time and say the "press conference" live. My first thought was "Here's the distraction from the VA scandal, but at least a POW is coming home." Then, I heard Mr. Bergdahl call upon the name of Allah in Arabic (not Pashtun, BTW), and said, "What was that?" At that point, I went to the web and also saw the Tweets that Mr. Bergdahl sent out.
"Beating to death" a political issue is how the Left has gained and holds onto the reins of power. Frankly, America has reached the point that screeching is the only way to reach most people (i.e., voters).
I must also emphasize that I consulted several military friends, both active duty and retired. They remain calm, but I see their faces. I place high value on what my military sources feel and say; after all, they are the ones who have voluntarily put themselves in harm's way in the service of our nation -- and they know the military way better than I do.
Now, here is my bottom line: Trading five generals (or whatever they call themselves in the Taliban) for one PFC is an insane trade. If Bergdahl was actually a deserter, the trade is more insane.
We shall see what the 2014 mid-term elections bring. I do know several Obama supporters -- not bloggers and not hardcore Dems, BTW -- who have now quit defending Obama because of this Bergdahl debacle. The insane trade that I mentioned above has impacted them even though they have favored releasing the Gitmo prisoners on general principle.
In my view, we should not be screeching forever about the Bergdahl debacle. Neither should we shut up (your words in this thread) and let it go.
Even the WaPo's Eugene Robinson admits that the Rose Garden "press conference" with the Bergdahls and Obama was a huge mistake -- a grave error. Richard Cohen says the same.
ReplyDeleteA close parallel to Dubya's infamous
Delete"MISSION ACCOMPLiSHED!"
FT cites a controversy that at its core was, and continues to be petty in the extreme. Why the “mission accomplished” event should have garnered so much attention is at least confusing, and at most preposterous. The banner was intended to signify the end of the USS Abraham Lincoln’s tour in the Middle East in May 2003; nothing more, nothing less than that. May 2003 was also touted as the end of the invasion phase of the Iraq War. But what is even more confusing to me is why FT should even bring this up, and then equate the banner to the deserter Bergdahl. There are no similarities in these two incidents: none.
DeleteIn the never-ending battle battle between the Evil Party and the Stupid Party you make your personal affiliation patently obvious.
DeleteWell FT ... don’t bother demanding gentlemanly discourse from now on. You are the king of cheap shots and infantile remarks.
DeleteSam, it's because the democrats and their overly-dependent zombie supporters almost Never have anything Credible to talk about. So our world is rife with stupid s****
DeleteZ,
ReplyDeleteDid you hear the WH spokeswoman say 'we don't know what happened until we can talk to Bergdahl, HE knows what happened that night.'
What to say to that?
Bergdahl should certainly not automatically have more credibility than those other soldiers, the ones who are speaking out! I could draw several crazy analogies. At this point, however, nothing I can say will convince an Obama supporter to recognize that such an approach as "Let's believe Bergdahl" is madness!
Besides, didn't Bergdahl plan his disappearance to the point that he sent home in advance various personal belongings and leave some kind of note? I read that somewhere over the past few days. If someone here can confirm or debunk that information, please leave comments so indicating.
This is the most frustrating part of this issue. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Bergdahl deserted on his own volition. OP Mest did not have ANSF forces on the site, so their was no insider threat. Bergdahl's unit did not patrol that night, so his initial alleged excuse of 'falling behind' is absurd false.....even without mentioning that Bergdahl was not outside the wire with his weapon and kit, ad he would have been....were he on patrol. And we know thatBergdahl deserted because we know the the Army and ISAF conducted a 15-6 investigation after his disappearance was reported. Had Bergdahl been abducted by Haqqani forces, the other members of Blackfoot Company, 1/501st, would not have had gag orders [NDAs] during that initial investigation.
DeleteHearing Bergdahl side of the story will be interesting, but we know what occurred that night. And he should be prosecuted under Article 85.
CI,
DeleteHad Bergdahl been abducted by Haqqani forces, the other members of Blackfoot Company, 1/501st, would not have had gag orders [NDAs] during that initial investigation.
Excellent point.
Do you think that Bergdahl will be prosecuted under Article 85, or will Obama pardon him or otherwise prevent the trial?
Sadly, I think it could go either way....
DeleteNon-political vent. People texting and driving and those that refuse to obey the laws of the road! If it's raining, put on your headlights. Pay attention and put your mobile phone down.
ReplyDeleteNuff said.
I hope you are feeling better, my friend
Letica, I wish it were much harder to get a license here. IN England in 1990, takes about 3 years to get your license. Everyone knows how to drive there.
DeleteI don't do road rage, but I come close when I drive 8 miles of freeway at 20 mph only to find all three lanes in my direction not driving past a spun out car on the median on the other side of the freeway. (!!!!!!!!!) ;-)
Leticia,
DeleteFirst, thank you for your well wishes. I'm slowly improving, but still weak. I think that I need vitamins! A trip to the Vitamin Shoppe is in order for some special supplements. I know that I'm run down.
Now, about the distracted and reckless driving that you mentioned....I totally agree! And there's something else: the pedestrians who step off the curb without looking because they're glued to their devices instead of paying attention to the traffic. A few days ago, I almost mowed down one such pedestrian. Close call! Mr. AOW was with me -- I was taking him to therapy -- and had he not screamed, "Stop!" I would have struck that pedestrian, who was at least 50 years old. I missed hitting the man by an inch or two. Sheesh.
Here's my open comment.
ReplyDeleteWhere are we on this chart ?
We are at that stage when the Imperator Obama stands, condescendingly sneers down into the arena at the gladiators, and gives his two-thumbs down. It can only get better.
DeleteYou tell'em, Leticia.
ReplyDeleteKid: I always like to read those open comments.
Thx Bob :)
DeleteSeattle School Shooter Was Thwarted By A Limited Amount Of Ammunition
ReplyDeleteA gunman killed one student and injured several others Thursday at Seattle Pacific University, in what is the 73rd school shooting since Newtown, according to Everytown for Gun Safety’s count. There’s a lot we don’t know yet. But one fact that is being widely reported is that the shooter was prevented from doing even more harm when he stopped to reload his shotgun. In that moment, a student building monitor used pepper spray to subdue the shooter and other students helped hold the shooter down until the police arrived.
The shooter, suspected to be 26-year-old Aaron R. Ybarra, had to stop to reload his gun because his magazine could only hold a limited number of shells. The more shells or bullets a magazine can hold, the the longer a continuous spray of shots can go on before the gun has to be reloaded. Contrast this scenario — he reportedly hit four people before he stopped to reload — with the 2012 Arora, Colorado, shooting at a movie theater in which 70 people were injured and 12 killed by a gun with a 100-round drum.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/06/06/3445966/seattle-school-shooter-was-thwarted-by-a-limited-number-of-bullets/
All magazines are limited in the number of rounds they can hold. What is your point?
DeleteIn a universe that makes sense, stories like these never see the light o day. In the aurora case, the shooter was able to kill a few people before he was ventilated by the bullets from the guns of several of the armed individuals at the theater. More likely however, the coward POS never even showed up at the theater because he knew armed individuals would be there.
DeleteWhy does mass murder always happen in gun free zones?
Well, it's because psychopathic vermin punks don't go where they know people are armed.
"continuous spray"
DeleteAh...I always love the the way the gun control cabal is forced to falsely associate semi-automatics with automatic firearms...in order to properly demonize firearms to the low information voter.
Sugarmanns statement lives on in eternity:
"Assault weapons... are a new topic. The weapons' menacing looks, coupled with the public's confusion over fully-automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons — anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun — can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons." - Josh Sugarmann, "Assault Weapons: Analysis, New Research and Legislation", March 1989
Bergdahl:
ReplyDeleteSince Barack Obama is the President of the United States, he has the right and privilege of dealing with foreign governments and entities. This is a time honored power of the Presidency. Obama doesn't have to have a reason to bring Bergdahl back.
I don't remember what George Washington did about turn coats AFTER the Revolutionary War. I do know that he almost hung my GGGG-Daddy for trying to run away from the Army. (He was later pardoned by GW.) Abraham LIncoln pardoned all the Confederate soldiers after the Civil War. But, that war was over.
The Viet Nam draft dogers were pardoned, too, after the war was over.
The War on Terrorism is not over, but the Prez can do anything he wishes.
However, as citizens it is our duty to judge the sensibility of the President's actions. In this case the President has done a stupid thing. It is OK to bring a man back from being a POW, but to try to cover the man and what he did with honor in the Rose Garden smells.
Bergdahl deserted, no argument there. American soldiers were put in harm's way because of his stunt. Good men probably died, and this will come out if there is a court martial. Based on Bergdahl's conduct, lack of remorse (to this point), and his flaky background the guy is beyond redemption. But, we shall see.
I don't believe anybody has gotten too critical of Obama. He just doesn't have it in him to negotiate and craft good deals. If he paid a ransom for Bergdahl, then Obama has passed beyond the realm of reality. Nobody, even the left wing-nuts, doubts that he did it for political purposes.
What a crummy President we have.
Sam,
ReplyDelete" All Americans should be jumping up and down about this ... as it is their right to do, and their responsibility to do"
Yes, but isn't today's Horse Race a bigger concern? I'm glad about the outcome! You people had better start to focus on things that really matter or we will all be screwed!
Hope alls well AOW..too much horror going on to expound on~! Have a fabulous weekend my friend~!:-)
ReplyDeleteAbout the five released Taliban prisoners:
ReplyDeleteMullah Khairullah Khair Khawah, who served as minister of interior and governor of Herat under the Taliban government; Mullah Fazel Mazloom, the Taliban Army chief of staff; Mawlawi Abdul Haq Waseeq, the deputy head of intelligence under the Taliban; Mawlawi Noorullah Noori, former governor of Balkh and later Kandahar army chief for the Taliban; and Mawlawi Muhammad Nabi Omeri, a senior Taliban leader in southern Afghanistan.
The above link also states the following, but I haven't confirmed the information:
[Six months ago] The senior Republican on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said today that the Obama administration specifically told him the Taliban commanders released from Guantanamo wouldn’t be be used in a prisoner swap without consulting Congress.
Does anybody here know more about the above?
Please read Looks Like Bowe Bergdahl's Father Was in Contact With Al Qaeda.
ReplyDeleteI can understand a parent's desperation. But where is the line about associating with a declared enemy of one's nation?
New York City has their own Barack Mr. “Progressive”” Obama!
ReplyDeleteComrade Mayor de Blasio.....
Not because both are congenital socialists....but based on policies, ignorance, ineptness, and communistic behavior!
1. "De Blasio’s policies are driving up the cost of living in New York
2. ...de Blasio, who seems to believe that money grows on trees and that making grand pronouncements is the same as doing real things.....de Blasio promises to drive a stake through the heart of inequality and make the city more affordable.
3. The local tab alone for his progressive vision is a whopping $13.6 billion, give or take. And where will that money come from? Open wide, dear taxpayer.
4. ....approach hangs on a contradiction: The city can spend its way to prosperity, and the resulting tax hikes won’t spoil the party. But unless he can suspend the laws of economics,....
5. ...de Blasio is adding to the problems he claims to be solving. Government spending is a huge driver of the high cost of living .... The real trickle-down is that the cost of good intentions means higher prices....
6. He wants a rent freeze on rent-regulated apartments, but a report by a landlords’ group showed that owners’ costs rose 5.7 percent last year. The biggest contributor was a 5 percent hike in property taxes — meaning the government raised the cost of housing.
a. ....every bodega pays property taxes, and when they go up, the owner eats the added taxes, lays off workers or raises the price of beer and potato chips. Ditto for shoemakers, doctors, drugstores and offices — and apartment owners. They all pass along taxes to their customers, or they go out of business.
b. ....The New York Times credited his effort to subsidize more people by noting that rents climbed by 40 percent in the last 20 years. But government spending in the 12 Bloomberg years alone increased 57 percent above inflation!
7. To believe City Hall can ramp up its taxing and spending without also driving up the cost of private housing and pretty much everything else is to believe in magic, or to be economically illiterate.
Policies that sound good but ignore sound principles cannot deliver on their promises, no matter how much compassion fuels them.
8. ....a new mayor with no private business experience and a fondness for socialism, his determination to make government bigger, more expensive and more powerful he is a considerable risk.
9. ....his ideas remain radical. Their practical incoherence will make it much more difficult to achieve even incremental gains in the standard of living for those of modest means.
10. For those successful businesses and families already nervous about his agenda, his spendthrift plans give them no comfort. de Blasio is shaping up to be the mayor most New Yorker’s feared..Second to John Lindsay or worse yet, David Dinkins
Oh well, another week another new Obama scandal! Only this time, Obama really screw thing up! Who would have thought that Obama could be the Laughing stock of the USA? Including his own base! Who would have thought I'm losing count.
ReplyDeleteWho would have thought that President Obama would have thought trading a scandal at all, so ok, I’ll give him that....
At first Obama thought how would a trade for a American held for 5 years for 5 crumby, scummy, Taliban Goat Herders could be a bad thing?
Who would have thought that Americans wouldn’t be sharing in Obama’s so called Victory lap of Freeing this lousy undeserving Punk? OK, let us count the ways, we could start with the "birther" issue, but some won’t agree that was a “scandal”.
We certainly can list the IRS scandal, where Obama targeted his political enemies, such as Conservative and Pro-Israel groups. Pro-Israel groups? Isn’t that being bias, against Jews” Hummm.
The Justice Department performing a Associated Press Reporters’ phone record investigation.
The “Fast and Furious” scheme, that allowed weapons from the U.S. to simply “walk” across the border into the hands of Mexican drug dealers, which led to the killing of a Border Patrol Agent, and the perjury of Comrade, Eric Holder.
The Black Panthers going scot free after the voter intimidation case at a polling place in Philadelphia. When the Black Attorney General (Eric Holder) dropped the criminal case with NO voter intimidation case, and NO intimidating White voters were found, and NO one was going to be prosecuted! Sound bizarre? I would think so!
And of course the biggie, the anti-Muslim video that let to the attack in Banghazi. Where Hillary Clinton, and Susan Rice came ot and LIED to the Faces of the entire country about what had happened there where an American Ambassador and ex-SEALs were killed
And obama’s promise to “We’re going to go out and we’re going to prosecute the person that made that video,”
And then the Obama's Veterans Affairs scandal! You may say that was the most serious of all because 40 American Vet’s died waiting to see a doctor for months. And we are still seeing the effects of this one as they are still coming out with more and more details about it. ...
BUT! To have A DESERTER traded for five of the worlds most dangerous terrorists! At first Obama thought how would that be a bad thing?
Who would have thought that Americans wouldn’t be sharing in Obama’s so called Victory lap of Freeing this lousy undeserving Punk?
Given the collective anger over the exchange of five Taliban commanders for what appears to be a U.S. Army deserter, combined with the anger from the Veterans Administration scandal, one might be tempted to think that Obama would be impeached or would resign, but neither of those options will ever, ever, occur. Not with this Egotistical, Narcissistic, president! .
He’s not leaving because he doesn’t care what Americans think and only cared when the issues involved his election and re-election. . He was, after all,. He doesn’t even care what the members of Congress think, or what the Constitution says. he just does whatever he pleases and uses executive orders by working his way through federal agencies and departments.
He knows that his approval ratings can fall below 50 percent on any given day, but he has the stupidity of his liberals base accusing conservatives of being stupid, and racist, and he knows that the vast bulk of Americans are too busy trying to do whatever it takes to hold their families together, to hold onto their jobs, if they still have one, and that most do not spend much time paying attention to the issues.
How do you spell Liberal hypocrite?
ReplyDeleteBarack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice, Eric Holder, Michille Obama, need I continue?
How do you spell relief?
ReplyDeleteEd,
DeletePerhaps "November 2014" -- but just for starters.
And now we have this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/us/us-soldier-bowe-bergdahl-case-highlights-a-unit-known-for-troubles.html?_r=0
The article looks like a short synopsis of "The Outpost" by Jake Tapper.
Here is the deal. Place yourself in the shoes of any soldier who served alongside Bergdahl. You look at the front page of the New York Times. Your complete unit, your own service, has been slandered. It has been slandered, to support White House spin on what amounts to an illegal prison break from Guantanamo Bay.
Our military had a one hundred percent success rate of zero POW's in Afghanistan until Bergdahl took his hike. The man, has caused tremendous trouble and allocation of resources to be expended for his misadventure.
I contend Bergdahl walked because he lacked what it takes to serve with true honor and distinction in the military. No excuses can be accepted for the ill-advised choices he made. It takes an adherence to core values and an ability to fall under chain of command, even under difficult circumstances, that provide for the sustainability of our military branches of service. Every one of us who have faithfully kept the oath know that military service can present as "the best of times, and the worst of times". Sometimes, our command staff is excellent. Other times, those in command may be lacking in certain skill sets. But that does not negate nor diminish the authority invested within the chain of command.
In my branch of service, the Navy, our core values are honor, courage and commitment.
The New York Times just issued a big slap against the service of those who served with true honor and distinction.
Bergdahl? Public discourse is not the place for me to truly cut loose regarding my extreme disrespect for this man.
Tammy Swofford
Tammy,
DeleteThis is what's happening: the Ministry of Truth (Orwell's 1984) is in full damage control.
Tammy, given his family's displayed love for islam, bergdahl's hookup with the taliban may have even been pre-planned. Yes, we don't know. Imagine if we never find out, meaning the white house cancels the court martial...
ReplyDeleteIt'd be par for the course.
Tammy has pointed out something that many may not be aware of:
ReplyDeleteOur military had a one hundred percent success rate of zero POW's in Afghanistan until Bergdahl took his hike.
AOW,
ReplyDeleteI could not sleep last night. I tossed and turned on the thought that the NYTimes maligned and slandered the service of a complete unit. My thought is, "How would I feel today if that were my unit? How would my family react to that article? What if I had been part of the command staff working in a difficult terrain and with an arduous mission focus?"
My deep gratitude remains for those who have served and continue to serve in Afghanistan. We pray frequently for a pilot in Afghanistan. We attended this young man's wedding. We rejoiced when his son was born. He will not walk, but he will continue to stand. God Bless our Troops. God Bless America.
Tammy
Tammy,
DeleteLast week, I lost night after night of sleep over the Bergdahl debacle. The only reason that I slept last night: I took 200 extra milligrams of gabapentin (for a total of 400 mg, still a safe dose). I just had to get some sleep because Mr. AOW had an early call for PT today. Home front first!
These issues amount to little more than a feast of pungent Buttburgers dropped on the Media's Grill at the behest -- and for the benefit -- of The Oligarchs. ALL of our magnificent men at arms have been ruthlessly exploited and callously sacrificed to serve illegitimate interests.
ReplyDeleteI have come to the depressing realization that every conflict in which we became embroiled since WWII has been a wholly unnecessary exercise in futility deliberately designed to diminish our power, prestige, and status abroad, while spreading confusion, deepening divisions and fomenting anger, anxiety, cynicism, dissension, demoralization, and disunity at home.
It may just be possible that the Bergdahls -- like Mr. Snowden not long ago -- perceived the true nature of the Tragic, Lunatic Farce we have permitted selfish, power-crazed moral and intellectual perverts to make of our once-well-intentioned, brilliantly-conceived system of governance.
Perhaps, instead of -- mob-like -- calling for their heads to be served to us on a platter, we'd do better to suspend passion, inhibit knee jerk reaction, pause, take several deep breaths, and think for once, instead of giving our emotions free reign, and possibly give thanks for the courage shown by those who dare to buck The System.
Never forget that God works in mysterious ways.
FT,
DeleteIt seems to me that we had a plague of moral relativism for many decades. You so suggested when you mentioned moral and intellectual perverts.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon" and attain the Kingdom of Heaven.
As for the Bergdahls, I do not think that they are individuals who have shown the courage of bucking The System. Rather, IMO, something else -- something nefarious -- was going on him, and I have tried very hard to base my assessment on evidence that I could verify as much as possible.
I hope that time will indeed show which of our assessments is correct.
Of course, we each believe that our own assessment is correct. I am certainly not averse to changing my mind if actual evidence warrants my doing so -- and I hope that you feel the same.
The unevenness of the trade still grates on me.