THE PRISONER EXCHANGE: He Did What?!
Longtime readers know that, of all the adventures I have had in my life, I rank my three years of military service at near the top, especially my time as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne. That time changed my life. I was discharged back into the real world, still young, but way more mature and responsible than before the Army. My brief time in the service does not make me a military expert, but I do have my opinions. Case in point: The prisoner exchange this week that resulted in Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release from captivity as the only American prisoner of war in Afghanistan.
I remember what I thought when I heard the national news about Bergdahl’s capture back in 2009. How could that happen? What could the situation have been that would have given the enemy an opportunity to capture an American soldier? Well, subsequent news reports provided that answer– Bergdahl was a deserter! He simply left his post and walked off of his base. But regardless, our military has a tradition that we do not leave soldiers on the battlefield. So, during the five years that Bergdahl was in captivity, his fellow soldiers continued to look for him with the goal of freeing him from captivity. And six of them died in that effort.
Recently, with the war winding down in Afghanistan, the Obama administration apparently had an opportunity to do a prisoner exchange to bring Bergdahl home. But what the Taliban wanted was outrageous– the release of five of the most dangerous terrorists in the world from the prison at Guantanimo Bay in Cuba. No matter. The Obama administration agreed– even though the President has admitted in public statements that at least some of these terrorists are likely to be a threat to Americans in the future. But if that turns out to be the case, Obama said, they will be tracked down and dealt with. Yeah, right. Recall that Obama also said that the terrorists who killed four Americans in Benghazi would be tracked down and dealt with.
Many in Congress on both sides of the aisle are publicly wondering what the hell Obama was thinking. Yes, we should always try to bring all of our soldiers back from the battlefield. But aren’t there some limits? In this case, how many more American lives should be at risk to bring one disgraced soldier home? That does not mean that efforts should not have continued to free Bergdahl. But the deal that Obama made was a bad deal. And once again, the Obama administration seems to have been totally clueless as to how the American people would view the Bergdahl exchange.
Of all people, Security Advisor Susan Rice was sent out to the Sunday talk shows to proclaim that Bergdahl is a hero who had served with “honor and distinction” and that expedited action was required to make this exchange because Bergdahl’s health was failing. Both of those assertions now appear to be false. Recall that Susan Rice was the same spokesperson they sent to the Sunday shows to tell us with a straight face that the attack in Benghazi was a response to a anti-Muslem video! In addition, Obama hosted a celebratory event at the White House with Bergdahl’s parents, apparently thinking that Bergdahl’s return would be seen as a great victory for his administration.
Now, he seems to be surprised that the American people are saying, “You did what?!” In fact, it appears that this may be another embarrassing “you can keep your insurance, you can keep your doctor” pinocchio moment for Obama. While it is good that Bergdahl has been freed from captivity, the reality is that he is likely to be court martialed and will spend years in prison. Desertion is one of the most serious crimes a soldier can commit. The Army will not, cannot ignore what Bergdahl did.
Dennis Reeves Cooper, Ph.D
Thank you for addressing this topic. We got a real wing-dinger in the white house. It’s not a matter of politics, democrat or republican, liberal or conservative, black or white. I wish it were that simple.
All five of the released terrorists will return to killing, kidnapping and injuring as many Americans as they can. Every national security agency document secured thus far, attests to this fact.
The terrorists that our president set free are the brain trust of the Taliban. They are on equivalent to four star generals within our Armed Forces.
There are serious questions surrounding the soundness, stability and sanity of an individual, who reignites the capacity of our assailants to kill us. Particularly, when said person is charged with a constitutional oath, to protect and defend us against all enemies.
Are you going to believe it too when the news reports that these “terrorists” are the masterminds behind hijacking flight MH370 that has now been used to detonate a nuke over israel causing the official start of WW3? Oh but don’t worry, Obama will track them down (in whatever US funded torture chamber they are currently in) and they will be dealt with. Too bad the lie believers are the majority.
wow, for a moment there I thought I clicked on a column by Shawn Hannity….
are you kidding with this Mr. Reeves?? with your journalistic background it is indeed a shame you are so loose with the narrative before the facts are in. first, we are the ones invading their country, so we’re the enemy, and we’re the terrorists, let’s get that straight. second, how do you know he is a deserter? that has not been resolved yet, and in this country we are innocent until railroaded to guilty, so there’s that. also, where is the proof that anybody died looking for him, let alone 6 soldiers? it appears that that has been debunked. but then the military has a history of that; remember Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman? then you go along with the propaganda that the released prisoners are all hardened murders just waiting for the chance to slit every American throat they can. Again, when we look at the facts (they’re pesky aren’t they?), we see that these men have all been jailed since 2002. they have long been dethroned from whatever position they may have held, and their relevancy surely has been diluted. but wait, we don’t know what they were because they were never charged with anything, never saw the inside of a court, just picked up and jailed.
so Mr. Reeves, I suggest you put down the Fox News Reporting for Dummies book you are reading, and get back to Journalism 101.
Lastly, I’m glad you enjoyed your military service, and I’m glad you got something out of it. but thousands upon thousands of other people were not so lucky to have that same experience at the hands of the U.S. military. killing people should not be a career.
I thank Sister and Keysbum for their comments. It has caused me to dig a little deeper into this matter. I will offer a response for their consideration.
Primary sources to the event in question, attest to the fact that Mr. Bergdahl deserted his post. The Platoon Leader, Squad Leader and Medic, along with 6 fellow soldiers, unanimously and publicly identified this man as a deserter. They all said that he walked away from his assigned post, abandoning his combat position, while they slept. If this occurred, it is a serious offense. When it’s done in a combat zone, it’s punishable by death.
To a man, each one of these soldiers said they considered Bergdahl a Brother. They further stated that they would have unhesitatingly sacrificed their lives to save his.
I witnessed several interviews given by the mothers, fathers and wife of two soldiers who were killed during subsequent combat operations following Mr. Bergdahl’s disappearance. They all believed their sons were killed while looking for Bergdahl. Thus far, their sentiments have been corroborated by members of Bergdahl’s Platoon.
Particularly disturbing to me, was the fact that these veterans were all in agreement that the precision and accuracy of the attacks launched against them, significantly increased after Bergdahl’s departure.
I agree with Keysbum, Mr. Bergdahl is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. However, as American citizens we are entitled to research, investigate and secure evidence, which may be used in formulating an opinion concerning the matter that is before us.
I’ve attempted to be impartial and objective with the information that I’ve shared. I recognize that I’ve had experiences which could distort my processing this event. However, my life’s work has demonstrated a capacity to get at the truth. My yearning to authentically realize incidents as they really are, has superseded my personal biases. The propaganda, or lies that I’ve been fed, haven’t taken hold.
Two of the five prisoners set free are wanted by the United Nations for “War Crimes Against Humanity”. They are charged with killing thousands of innocent Shiite Muslim men, women and children.
Another, is the Deputy Minister of Intelligence for the Taliban and Al Qaeda. He is accused by “Human Rights Watch” of murdering and torturing Afghan civilians.
Included in this exchange is a senior Taliban Commander considered to be a military mastermind in developing violent tactics utilized in assassinating political dissenters. He is a Taliban Governor for the Balkh and Lagman provinces, who has been implicated in the murder of thousands of Shiites in northern Afghanistan. When asked about the killings, he did not express any regret and stated: ” They did what they needed to do in their struggle to establish their ‘ideal state.’”
The last prisoner let go is a former Chief of Staff and Deputy Finance Director of the Taliban Army. He served as Governor of the Herat Province in Afghanistan and has been identified as a powerful opium trafficker. He specializes in smuggling missiles and amassing weapons for the purpose of murdering Afghan civilians that disagree with him.
Keysbum, far from being dethroned from their positions of power and influence, the aforementioned terrorists are now revered as distinguished and preeminent celebrities. They are energizing and recruiting those who find the lives of women worthless, as they kill anyone or thing that questions their authority.
Documents reveal, that even after their capture they wielded considerable influence throughout Afghanistan. An in-depth assessment determined that: “If released, detainees would likely rejoin the Taliban and establish ties with other terrorist groups”.
Formulating an opinion based on studying documents, investigating events and researching interviews, is not akin to parroting information proffered by any type of news program.
War is the ultimate insanity. It highlights the weaknesses inherent in human beings. Intolerance, anger and aggression are fueled by selfishness and ignorance. Incompetent and ineffective leadership finds expression in the military industrial complex.
We are all called upon to serve our Country and God in a multitudinous of ways. I’ve not walked in another’s shoes. I’ve come to understand the implications involved in the quote: “Judge not lest ye be judged”.
A well developed sense of discernment and perspicacity has served me well. Most importantly, I’ve had the good fortune of learning where Peace and Love reside; between my ears.
The village idiot wonders what in the hell we were doing having troops in Afghanistan in the first place? And before that, in Iraq? Obama is a national joke. His predecessor was a national joke. National jokes, which caused huge harm to American troops, their families, the US treasury, and to foreign troops and their families and civilians. Vietnam taught America nothing. I got shanghaied to write a bit about that into a Facebook thread yesterday, started by a Keys amiga I know somewhat. One of the participants in that thread said his National Guard unit in Iraq discovered something there, which, was his drift, justified the US invasion of Iraq, but it was classified back then, and still is. I replied, how convenient, it’s classified; didn’t pass this Vietnam generation American’s smell test. That entire FB thread, and my second, quite long off-Facebook reply to the Iraq veteran, are included in the June 8, 2014 “If you think it’s too expensive to treat veterans, then don’t send them to war – better yet, don’t fight stupid, ruinous Corporate USA wars in the first place ” post at http://www.goodmorningfloridakeys.com.
I’m going to take that as a “yes” to my question, John.
Mr. Donnelly….
first, let me say that I consider this whole episode another clown show put on by the US government and disseminated by their communication arm, the US mainstream media. the cast of characters are right out of central casting (the bearded father is hilarious).
having said that, getting at the truth is a lot harder than watching Fox News (or MSNBC for that matter), or accepting government produced documents or spokespeople. I referenced the cases of Jessica lynch and pat tillman in my previous comment as testament to the “truth telling” we can expect. we do not know the real truth, the real agenda behind this story. but we do know there IS an agenda, and it IS a story. hopefully we will find out someday.
but there are some truths that can be discussed now. for example the 5 men released from US custody. these people were Taliban. there were fighting US aggression. does that make them a terrorist or freedom fighter? the fact that some or all, of them may have been involved in killing members of their own country is horrifying of course, but puts them in the same company of countless of other governments (remember the US created Taliban governed Afghanistan until we over threw them), including our own (remember Waco?). these people would be of no consequence, and would have no effect on America save for the fact that we INVADED their country! whatever their crimes were, they are not against us, and should not be dealt with by us. they were illegally taken prisoner, denied any due process, probably tortured, and kept in a cage by an invading army carrying out an illegal act of aggression. who are the war criminals again?
now, the story goes that 6 soldiers died trying to save Bergdahl. nonsense. the reasoning they have all used is to state that these soldiers might not have been where they were killed if Bergdahl had not left. stupid. what if more would have been killed if Bergdahl hadn’t of left? woulda, coulda, shoulda. just nonsense. but not one of these soldiers died even remotely connected to Bergdahl, not one. but it makes for a better story, more discussion points, more controversy, and more distraction (anyone talking about the VA story anymore?).
one thing can be assured Mr. Donnelly: if you are getting your facts from anything you see on TV, or reading it from anything you can buy on a newsstand, you are getting a sponsored truth, and one that should only be accepted with a boulder (not grain) of salt.
Keysbum, I value and appreciate your comments. You said a lot.
Invading a sovereign nation and chasing a ghost, for reasons unbeknownst to us (given only the government’s version), propped up by a media that proffers the government’s position; while killing the invaded nation’s children and innocent civilians, constitutes crimes against humanity.
We have changed many administrations through the years. It appears that War and Violence are a part of our culture. Apparently, it’s accepted as a solution and answer, in rectifying differences.
If an individual is a pacifist or conscientious objector, the Armed Forces is not for them. They can nobly serve their country and the world at large via the Peace Corps and VISTA. Or, in any manner that they choose.
That being said, most, if not all soldiers, particularly those in combat are ‘a political’. They join the military out of a sense of duty and desire to serve their nation.
Perhaps, as the world’s consciousness evolves, we will not have to protect ourselves from those desiring to do us harm. The need for Warriors will decrease. Maybe even to the point where they become obsolete.
However, it appears that we aren’t there yet. Until that day arrives, shall we just turn the other cheek? Perhaps… I do not believe that Self-Defense is a Violent Act.
What are we to do? Where are we to go to get our information?
In one sense, I’m not ubiquitous. I have to rely on my experiences, accumulate wisdom and knowledge to address everything that the world dishes out on any given day. Intuition and instincts, along with reviewing any documents and news accounts pertaining to the issues at hand, all play a role in securing information.
Skepticism of any ‘party line’ has been my forte’. Being a lone wolf, I often seek answers for myself. I’m not afraid to be wrong, as I’m quickly able to improvise, adapt and overcome. As a seeker of truth I make no apologies to anyone. When in error I will take responsibility for my mistakes, learn what I need to learn, and move on.
I’m still under construction in formulating a deeper understanding of all that’s involved in our Creation.
I have to have a base line and foundation from whence I can proceed. However, my commitment is to Truth not consistency. That is why I sincerely welcome and acknowledge the benefit of your words. Thank you…
I think Keysbum has it pretty well sized up; all this fretting over this molecule on the little toe of a monster, which is USA invading Afghanistan, as if the Soviet experience there didn’t happen to warn us invading Afghanistan wasn’t a great idea. I spent a while last night on Caroline Street talking with a Marine vet who said he’d been in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. He got shot in Afghanistan, then was honorably discharged on medical grounds. That was in 2011. He went into the Marines at age 21, now is 43. For three years, he’s been trying to get his VA benefits, which he said he was told will be $2,000 a month if he receives them. Then, he will be able to afford a place to stay on the mainland. Meanwhile, he’s in Key West, homeless, biding his time, because he doesn’t need much money to stay here. He was running with several vets last night, from different branches of the US military. They all are homeless. They run together, its more comfortable to them. He seemed to have his head screwed on okay, the others seems pretty messed up. He seemed to be looking out for them. He said the police down here treat homeless people, including homeless vets, like shit. My sense was, he and his buddies kinda feel like they are still in Afghanistan, and the Taliban are the VA, Key West police and local civilians who hate homeless people. This fellow was courteous to passersby and to people siting at the tables nearby where we were talking, After he had moved on, I said to a woman he’d had some conversation with at the next table over, that it’s amazing what can be learned from people, if you aren’t all stuck up inside. She laughed. I didn’t get into the politics of the wars he’d been in. It didn’t seem the time or place. I an going deep into the politics in today’s post at http://www.goodmorningkeywest.com. It’s a little before 8 a.m. That post should be up by 10 a.m. Today is June 10, 2014. In my experience, 99 percent, maybe 99.99 percent, of Americans don’t want to know about that side of their government.
Mr. Donnelly:
your comment surely defines you as a conscientious, thoughtful, introspective individual. i do not proclaim to have all the answers, nor do i especially relish the idea of proselytizing my belief system on anyone without solicitation. however, if i may be so presumptuous, may i pontificate ever so delicately on some of the points you so eloquently authored.
in your first paragraph you correctly define our Afghanistan incursion as a crime against humanity; in that we most certainly agree. where we differ is your resignation of that crime as a part of our culture. wars are not, as governments would have you believe, morality plays; they are not about freedom, restoring rights, establishing democracy, protecting the Homeland, or any of the myriad humanitarian fictions trotted out to rouse the populace into servile compliance. think about it: in what war was your individual freedom as an American imperiled? was Iraq a threat to you? Libya? Viet-Nam? are we in peril of the goat herders from Afghanistan marching down Main Street, USA shaking their staffs as we cower behind our tanks and jets, hastily putting in our Amazon orders for burkas to cover our women folk?
no, Mr. Donnelly, the only people who are a direct threat to your individual freedom are the men and women of the United States Congress, the Executive branch of the United States government, and the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Be aware, the greatest enemy of any government is their own people. When the president of the United States proclaims the Constitution ‘just a goddamn piece of paper’, you should quake in your boots, and realize the paradigm of America you thought existed, the country that you revered and served, had been relegated to the ash heap of history. In its place, rising like a Phoenix, is a nation ensconced in the Patriot Act, Homeland Security, the TSA, the militarization of police, endless war, and the deconstruction of the middle class and a national economy.
Now you may ask how does this occur. I will offer a very brief, totally inadequate response. My educational background is in economics; i have three degrees in that subject, and one in finance. the totality of that education can be summed up in three words: follow the money.
the world is run by the people who own and control the world’s central banks and their retail banking satellites, which through the fractional reserve system, literally creates money out of thin air. these people own the governments of the world, as well as most of the means of production. as profit seekers, they entertain those activities which will increase their wealth. war is an especially lucrative endeavor, and that is why you see so many of them. name any war in the last 400 years, and you will find the genesis of those wars to be the financiers (yes, even WWII). economic booms and busts are all calculated planned events, and these people secure profits in both. because you see, it is the amount of money/credit in an economy that defines whether it’s feast or famine. and they control the amount.
so Mr. Donnelly, I would ask you to consider the next time the government is telling you that some poor goat herder in Iraq or Afghanistan means to do you harm, consider the motives of the parties in question. is it more rational to believe that rich people are looking to get richer, or that a sandal wearing guy, a half a world away, scratching out a living with a few emaciated goats, is worrying that you have too many freedoms, and therefore must kill you? the next time you are watching a program and they trot out some lackey to tell you about ‘some buck’ out buying crab legs with food stamps, ask yourself why you are seeing that, and not outrage at the fact that 1 in 6 Americans cannot afford to eat and need help.
as to where to get your information? that is a hard question to answer, and i suppose there is no ready answer. however, if you approach everything you ingest by ascertaining the relative agendas of the people involved, and realize that what is put in front of you in terms of government, mass media, and education is merely a facade, you are ahead of the game.
Again, follow the money.
Positively perfect Keysbum. Thank you. You’ve restored my faith in humanity. If I could add, a good place to start for someone seeking truth might be the documentary All Wars are Bankers Wars.
I can only imagine the positive impact that talented and intelligent people such as a Mr. Cooper and Mr. Donnelly could have on our world if they truly wanted to seek out and speak out truth.
John Donnelly, my experiences with you are that you are conscientious and dedicated, and go way beyond the extra mile to help people and causes you feel need help. My problem for many years now, having had the “best years of my life” span the Vietnam war, has been I simply do not trust anything the US Government says to the Americna public about America going to war. And, as Keysbum said, following the money will get you to the bottom of what drives America at war every time. Money was what drove the Revolutionary War – King George’s excessive taxation. Money was what drove the American Civil War – slavery was big business in the slave states. And for northern businesses doing business with the slave states. Money drove the genocide against the Native Americans. Money drove the wars against Spain in America. I don’t have Keysbum’s economics credentials, but I did major in Economics. So money politics is familiar do me, going back to before America really got going in Vietnam. One of my older fraternity brothers went over there with the Army Special Forces in maybe 1964. He was killed pretty soon. The escalation occurred later. We, back then, felt President Kennedy probably was assassinated because he got cold feet about Vietnam. I have no doubt Martin Luther King was assassinated because he came out against the Vietnam war: clearly it was a rich white man’s war lots of young black men were fighting for rich white men, whose sons, for example, George W. Bush, were being gotten into Air National Guard units to keep them out of Vietnam, Bush, living in Texas, somehow got into the Alabama Air National Guard unit in Montgomery, then he went A.W.O.L. and never had to answer to that. That got very little mention when he ran for President, but when John Kerry, a Navy riverboat commander combat Vietnam vet, came home and protested that bad war, he was viewed as a traitor, and it was used against him during his later race against G.W. Bush, by Vietnam vets, who called themselves “Swift Boats for Bush”, or something like that. I personally believe, John, that it’s going to take a serious uprising in the US Military itself to stop America from getting into money wars. Who better to rebel against such wars than the US Military itself? For that to happen, though, I think it’s going to take US Military personnel and veterans to stop saying those wars were fought to protect Americans’ freedom, and to start saying what those wars really were fought for – money. I do not think Vietnam, nor any American war since, was worth one American solider killed or wounded. Not one. I do not think those wars had anything to do with protecting Americans. But I’m just a civilian, I did not serve in the US Military, so I have no credence in that theater. You, however, John, do have credence. My lawyer buddy Michael, in Alabama, who was an Army artillery captain in Vietnam, and came home and started protesting America at war, and has protested every since, has credence. It will take US soldiers, John, to stop America’s money wars, if they can be stopped. It very well might take a second American Civil War. Or an Act of God. Or an ET intervention. It’s not going to just happen. There has to be a catalyst, which cannot be ignored, pretended away.
Keysbum, just arrived home from the Miami VA. I must acknowledge your thought provoking presentation. Its detail, precision and logic cannot be ignored. It embodies a wisdom and clarity that often has been obscured.
I’ve read with interest all of the compelling comments made by Sister and Sloan. Their insight and well-informed perspectives appear to coalesce with those of yours.
Keysbum, I must admit the potency of your narrative has jarred me. In combination with the remarks of Sister and Sloan, I’ve made a decision to pull my forthcoming ‘guest column’. The article expanded on prior statements that I’ve made. It double-downed on the position I held regarding the prisoner exchange.
I’m going to review and reflect upon my present understanding of this issue.
Again, please accept my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your astuteness and vision.
Mr. Bashinsky:
it may interest you to know that a US military revolt did take place, and it effectively ended the ground war in Vietnam. just type in army mutinies in Vietnam and you’ll be enlightened. a good place to start is the documentary “sir, no sir” which in free on YouTube. but there many articles, https://libcom.org/history/vietnam-gi-resistance is one.
My dream maker said last night that I didn’t take this far enough with what I wrote to you last night, John Donnelly.
First, I was chastised for not pointing again to the “If you think it’s too expensive to treat veterans, then don’t send them to war – better yet, don’t fight stupid, ruinous Corporate USA wars in the first place” article posted on June 8, 2014 at http://www.goodmorningfloridakeys.com. Perhaps that article could be called a “Credence Clearwater Revival” history of America at war during my formative years and thereafter – I was born in 1942.
Second, I was chastised for not beating up on the Democratic Party, which was (past tense) America’s political hope of turning away from war for profit. The Republican Party offered no hope there, and that situation worsened when the Tea Party splintered off from the Republican Party and left the Republican Party unable to exercise moderation in war, for fear of losing even more ground against the Democrats.
The Republicans should not have worried, because the Democrats were so worried about losing war ground to the Republicans, that the Democrats tried to out-war the Republicans. John Kerry, for example. When, at the suggestion of my Alabama Lawyer friend, Michael, I read Kerry’s “Tour of Duty” in the late fall of 2003, I told Michael that Kerry wrote the book to prove he was a hawk, prelude to his attempt to defeat G.W. Bush the next year.
What a pity, I told Michael, who was rabid anti-America at war. The pity being, Kerry, like Michael, had come back to the States from Vietnam, and had campaigned relentlessly against that war. But, lo, in his book, Kerry spent little time criticizing that bad war, and much time touting his heroic exploits in it. Also, Kerry had been in favor of USA invading Iraq.
Bill Clinton had avoided the Vietnam war by going to England to study. Before Clinton was elected President the first time, I wrote to him in Little Rock and told him that, because he had been against Vietnam, if he got elected, his mission was to issue a national USA apology to Vietnam for that war. He did that during his second term. To this day, I remain convinced that is why the Republicans never were able to take Clinton down; why he was “teflon”. Alas, his wife, Hillary, is a hawk. If she ends up the next USA President, the Republicans and Tea Party will not have to fret about USA Corporate War going busted.
Which brings me to Barack Obama, who, before he was elected the first time, had every Democrat I knew thinking he was going to end the Iraq and Afghanistan wars right after he got into the Oval Office. I had been told in a dream that Obana had the potential to be the Anti-Christ, and I kept telling my Democrats friends that he was a chameleon and was not trustworthy. They did not like hearing that, but after he was elected the first time, he showed them in spades that he was a hawk who had pretended to be a dove.
Obama also proved he was a pathological liar when he then accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, the awarding of which to him proved the Nobel Committee were idiots – or, they gave it to him because of the color of his skin. Obama was not a Dr. Martin Luther King. He was not a Nelson Mandela. He was a pawn of Lucifer. As was his Republican predecessor in office. As was his Republican predecessor’s father. As was Lyndon Johnson, who was a Democrat. As was, and is, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.
John Donnelly, you are a Marine vet. You learned the horror of war up close and personal. I have suggested to you before that you create your own website, where you publish what you are doing, which concerns you, and what you hope to see happen and change. You have credence to urge a clearwater revival within the US Military; a revival in which the US Military no longer is the pawn of Presidents who never were on the front lines, who never were even in the US Military, who have no clue what war really is and when it really should be fought – only as a very last resort.
I read in Wikipedia this morning where John Kerry wrote that he once was a very religious Catholic choir boy, who felt like he might wish to be a priest. He’s still a very religious Catholic. I tell you truly, John Donnelly, if John Kerry knew anything at all about his Lord and Savoir, he would not be a hawk. He would be a dove. He would turn the other cheek and look inside himself and inside his country, the beam in his and his country’s own eyes, at what he and his country have done to cause America to have so many enemies beyond and inside its borders. But John Kerry does not do that. He approaches war just like the Republicans and the Tea Party approach war; just like President Obama and Hillary Clinton approach war. A bargain with the Devil, one nation under God not.
FYI, after the Key West City Commission, by a 4-3 vote, passed the Resolution against USA invading Iraq without UN approval, As I recall, Dennis Reeves Cooper, then Publisher and Editor of Key West the Newspaper, then attacked the City Commission in an article in the blue paper for entertaining and passing that Resolution. The same Dennis Reeves Cooper who started this discussion in the blue paper last Friday. I simply do not understand how anyone, who actually fought in Vietnam, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, can argue today that those wars were justified; that they were to protect Americans. That aside, how those three wars turned out loudly says America never should have gone to war in those countries.
Thank you, Keysbum, I was not aware of that revolt, but am glad to know it happened. An excellent article in that link: I highly recommend it. If it has not already happened, the article needs to be resurrected and somehow fed into the current US Military grapevine,
A dear friend of mine here in Key West was put in a federal prison when he was 18, because he refused to be inducted and, he figured, sent to Vietnam. He served 3 years in prison, a hell of a tour of duty for any young man, I hate to imagine the details – he never recovered from it.
I saw a bunch of US service men today at Harpoon Harry’s, all wearing captain’s bars. I thought to myself, I hope they don’t end up in Iraq or Afghanistan, or some other hell hole. I also thought, in all my years of criticizing America at war, I never once doubted American combat troops’ courage under fire. That never was an issue for me. It also takes courage not to follow orders they believe are wrong, not to fight in a war they believe is wrong.
John, it simply looks to me that this article Dennis wrote is so much bigger than what he covered; there is so much more at stake than what he frets over. What prompted Dennis to write that article is but a small symptom of a horrible very likely terminal disease in USA. You proved your courage in military combat, John. You continued to prove your courage in civilian combat. I hope now you will combine the two and go after the heads of the hydra and do you best to chop them off. The hydra General Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke of when he left his second term as US President and said, “Beware of the Military-Industrial Complex.” He had commanded the European Allied Forces during WWII. He knew what was really going on between the US Government and US corporations.
Well for what it’s worth. As a former Viet Nam Vet in special ops, government contractor and finally an Irish Bar owner, I would just like to add the following. The U.S. Government was negotiating with the Taliban since 2010 for Bergdahl. Early on the Taliban was willing to take a cash ransom but we turned it down. We now turn over five Taliban 4 star generals for a kid who they are going to discharge from the service. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have gotten him. We knew where he was the entire time. I think that an operation should have been mounted to free him. Our special ops are the best in the world at doing this. The president says that the war is over and that’s what we do. Well the war will never be over in the eyes of the Taliban or Al Queda or the new ISIS in Iraq. We can debate all day whether or not we should have been there or the reasons for war. I can tell you one thing for sure. This trade will come back to definitely bite us in the backside!!!!
Interesting trend of thought Sloan. From my prospective, the United States foreign policy has been totally screwed up since the end of WWII. We have since that time when we saved the world, picked up the banner of the worlds police force. Regardless of what we or anyone else does there will always be war. Our wars have been run by politicians and not generals. If one must become involved it should be to win and not sacrifice our blood to walk with our heads bowed or don’t get involved at all. War is hell and not to be taken lightly. Only exposure to war can give a perspective that anyone else can remotely understand. As far as Kerry goes, I consider him a worthless POS along with his traitor friend Jane Fonda
Looks to me the US is wired to do things that come back and bite it in the backside; maybe it’s genetic now. I was thinking earlier that Vietnam left USA in post traumatic shock, as a nation. When a soldier gets PTS, it’s a rough grind for the rest of the soldier’s life. My friend that was put into prison for 3 years, because he would night fight in Vietnam, came out that with PTS. I know lots of Vietnamese vets with PTS. One l ives in Key West part of the time, he’s still have flashbacks, nightmares. I imagine how it would have gone for him to also have been in Iraq combat. What additional damage to his psychic would have happened? Well, plenty of additional damage to America’s psyche, soul some would say, came from the invasion of Iraq. And then it happened again with the invasion of Afghanistan. Besides the cumulative USA PST, there also is the cumulative USA karma. And, it’s in a war with people who, unlike Americans, in the main, view dying killing or trying to kill infidels, especially Americans, as the fastest route into the Kingdom of God. America’s meddling in the Middle East will be coming back to bite America in the ass for a very long time. And every time America counter attacks being bitten in the ass, the ante will increase. I see no resolution. I’m 71. Maybe I will be gone from this life before the ass biting gets really cranked up.