You would think any American soldier coming home would be a cause for celebration, until Bowe Bergdahl was released.
The soldier deserted his unit, after showing a high amount of sympathy for the enemies of America. His fellow soldiers, including officers, confirm this. Still, his fellow soldiers searched for the deserter and some died on the missions looking for him. Recently, five Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba were released in exchange for the deserter.
This was a bad trade on many levels.
1-The deserter abandoned his unit.
2-The deserter had no business dealing with the locals. He had an unusual interest in Afghanistan and sympathy for the enemy. The deserter was not a civil affairs soldier whose job, not always inaccurately, is referred to as “Peace Corps with Guns” or “Diplomats of the Army.” (The usage of the former is discouraged) . His job was not to be close to the Afghan people more than any normal United States soldier would be.
3-Presidential authority has trumped Congress again, perhaps illegally, as seen in the President’s views on enforcing marriage laws, immigration laws, and even a unanimously passed terrorist visa law. There are very few cases where the President, on the basis of a moral right, should defy Congress. Those cases would be situations of the most extreme nature such as the Louisiana Purchase which immediately doubled the size of America or FDR’s Destroyer for Bases Agreement that happened while Hitler stood close to invading England. This was not one of those cases; not for a deserter.
4-This abuse of power could be used against those who currently overlook its use. Leftists should take note; the very presidential power they want for this President could be used against them one day but those, of another political persuasion, who have just as much sinful potential as they do.
5-Views of the deserter. Bergdahl apparently penned an anti American note before leaving his post.
6-The deserter will become a piece of enemy propaganda. The first reason is for his views (see above point). The deserter’s father also is somewhat troubling. On the steps of the White House, Bergdahl’s father said, in Pashto, “In the name of Allah, most gracious, most compassionate…” Further, the deserter’s father apparently posted, on twitter, a message that said ““I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners. God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, amen!”
7-What was given up. Five high profile prisoners, released from a modern day Alcatraz, for one deserter is not a fair trade. Even Lindsey Graham, hardly the darling of “the vast right wing conspiracy,” says the Taliban “Dream Team” was released by President Obama.
8-Such a one sided deal encourages more kidnappings of Americans. Imagine what we have to give up for a non deserter.
There is nothing redeeming in this story. Soldiers died for nothing, Islamic terrorist sympathy on the steps of the Rose Garden, and five men who tried to kill said soldiers are released for an American deserter. Nice job.
Amazingly, the deserter was promoted while in captivity and he is up for promotion to Staff Sergeant. He is not being treated as the deserter he was or as combat veterans with lesser offenses are; soldiers who are swiftly kicked out of the Army. The deserter left his unit and American soldiers who did not desert their unit died because of it.
It is too bad the administration does not expend this much effort getting Christian missionaries out of places where they are captured, tortured, and killed. But that would embrace Christianity, and we could never do that, right?
Again, nice job.
The world depends on America and its word, even they don’t like it. There is an saying that after your first beer you dislike America but after your third or fourth, you spill the beans about how thankful you are for America. I’ve discovered it in India, Africa, Europe, and elsewhere. People are, deep down, glad America is there to do the, very necessary, tough things that need to be done. However, it is deals like this that cause weaker nations to throw their lot in with the enemies of freedom. It weakens our credibility to make such a deal. We have pushed ourselves into a corner.
Worst of all, more lives, like those listed below who were lost looking for the deserter, will be lost because of our lack of credibility.
The real heroes were:
Private First Class Morris Walker, 23, killed on Aug. 18, 2009 looking for the deserter.
Private First class Matthew Michael Martinek, 20, killed on Sept. 4, 2009 looking for the deserter.
Sergeant Michael Murphrey, 25, killed on Sept. 5, 2009 looking for the deserter.
Staff Sergeant. Clayton Bowen, 29, killed on Aug. 18, 2009 looking for the deserter.
Staff Sergeant Kurt Curtiss, 27, killed on Aug. 26, 2009 looking for the deserter.
Second Lt. Darryn Andrews, 34, killed on Sept. 4, 2009, looking for the deserter.
Where is their welcome on the steps of the White House? While these brave men were dying, and Veterans were dying in hospitals, Susan Rice says the deserter served America honorably, the deserter’s father tweets about America’s so called evils in this war, and the President smiles when the deserter’s father speaks Pashto on the steps of the White House.
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