One
of the positive aspects of having a blog is that, occasionally, your comments
strike a chord with a reader; and they, in turn, offer their own opinion –
which I always welcome.
Regarding Bowe
Bergdahl, ‘Anonymous’ made the following points:
Point #1: Her husband was a “Marine Scout in Vietnam,”
fought in many battles, came home injured – and he does not agree with my
assessment of what Bergdahl’s final punishment or disposition should be – that it
should be much more severe – and that he considers Berdahl’s acts to be desertion
in time of war, and probably treason. The
former Marine feels that Bergdahl should, at minimum, spend significant time in
prison.
Point #2: Anonymous said that she has a problem with
the trade for Bergdahl; the five for one swap, that she was bothered by trading
five “Muslim Extremists” for Bergdahl.
Although, she seemed to agree that it is a good thing that Bergdahl has
been ‘recovered’ from the Muslim extremists.
Furthermore, she expressed concern that the extremists seemed to have dictated
the circumstances of Bergdahl’s release from captivity.
Anonymous,
I hope I was able to summarize your principal points. For those who wish to read the entire comment
from this lady, they can read it under my earlier post on Bergdahl.
But,
here are my thoughts…
Your
husband is probably right. Perhaps, my
recommendation was a little lenient under the circumstances. Moreover, additional information, aggravating
information, seems to be materializing on almost a daily basis. Now, believe it or not, Hollywood is planning
to make a movie about Bergdahl’s life and adventures. It kind of makes one sick to their stomach; especially in that almost none of the
Hollywood types have ever served in the military and the movie is sure to be a
sympathetic rendition.
OK,
in my initial post on this subject, I attempted to skirt the political aspects
of this case; but they may be becoming increasingly relevant. I swallowed hard when Susan Rice, the President’s
National Security Advisor, described Bergdahl’s military service in Afghanistan
as him having served “with honor and distinction.” Ms. Rice is, in my opinion, little more than
the President’s ‘groupie.’ Yes, I know
she’s smart. But, look at her closely. She is a ‘Stepford’ politician (remember the
motion picture, The Stepford Wives which was based on a novel by Ira
Levin). So, we shouldn’t be shocked by
what Susan Rice has simply been programed to say.
Regarding
the five-for-one trade, that’s no surprise.
Western countries are always on the short-end when it comes to trading
prisoners. Why? Maybe, it’s because we value life more than
they do. Look at the Israelis, they
sometimes trade hundreds of prisoners for the return of one of theirs. In this instance, maybe the Muslim extremists
currently sense American weakness or vulnerability.
Anonymous,
historically speaking, as your husband may recall, President Carter, in 1977, pardoned
hundreds-of-thousands of ‘draft dodgers,’ as well as approximately 1000
military deserters. So, it is very
likely that if there is too much pushback directed at Bergdahl, President Obama
will jump in with a sugar-coated pardon of his own.
For
me, personally, I wish it would just go away.
I would like Bergdahl to return to Hailey, Idaho; and that I’d never
hear about him again. Will he live out
the remainder of his life in disgrace? No, I doubt it. This country swims in apologists who will
continue to rationalize the actions of ‘deserters’ or other serious criminal
offenders. Now there is an increasing political movement to give voting rights back to convicted felons and current prisoners. After all, they have political opinions too
and an inalienable right to participate (attempt at sarcasm).
(Incidentally, this challenge is mostly pushed forward by
Democrats. Surprised? Well, statistics show that criminals, when
not otherwise occupied, predominantly vote Democrat.)
‘Honor
and distinction,’ ‘right and wrong,’ ‘harmful actions should warrant severe consequences,’
are concepts that have already been nearly rationalized out of existence. I’m not sure what the words even mean
anymore. Maybe, they actually mean
nothing? It just depends. Everything is relative and subject to a nuanced
interpretation. Right? Am I as guilty of this as the next guy? Yes, I probably am.
True
Nelson
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