WH: US solider held in Afghanistan, Bergdahl, is released after five years

It but it is quite clear from his correspondence he wanted nothing more to do with the military and deserted is post.

 

I'll be happy to help in this effort, and I could start immediately. For compensation I'd want the usual $250,000 starting pay, plus bennies, that everybody but the janitor makes in any federal government regime. I could sort out the "treasures" from the "turds" for you real quick! BTW, unless there's some really big, unknown story about Bergdahl that hasn't surfaced yet, then, yes, you'll be able to differentiate hiim from "treasure"... he'll be the turd pile with flies buzzing over it....

An example of how I would have handled the "Bergdahl Affair" (IF I'd decided that I even wanted the stupid, slacker bastard back in the first place)... I'd have told the big, hooptie Taliban warlords, "OK, boys, here it is -- you release Bergdahl with a flower in his ass or we're going to gut your high-ranking Taliban captives we're holding in Gitmo! We're going to gut them like fish! Then, we're going to wrap them in pig skins and bury them in a giant pile of pig crap! You think for one minute that wouldn't have gotten Sergeant ******** released, and pronto?! Well, if you're interested, I can also be available to fix the country's numerous other problems. Just post a request....

 

Yes it is good news and is closes that chapter. A Navy Seal was being interviewed and stated this would be bad policy if the US was still engaged in combat, but now that we are handing off that role, this deal is okay.

 

But not the danger they pose.

 

Wake up! We're going to have 10,000 people there for who knows how long.... And, we're going to keep nine bases, too. What d'ya suppose all THAT is for? You trust Obama? He said in 2008 he would shut the whole thing down immediately, but then in May 2012 made secret midnight deals with Karzai to keep us supporting him until 2024! I've posted this so many times I've lost track of it.

So, "this deal is okay"? With who? The Isalmo-Nazis who would throw you to your knees and cut your head off if they got half a chance? They get their big boys back, and we get Sergeant Slacker Turd. Oh, yeah! A masterpiece of skillful behind-the-scenes diplomacy. Exactly what I would have expected from the Keystone Cops idiots in the Obama regime....

 

The guys who were with him said he kept a journal with all sorts of weird (*)(*)(*)(*) in it like how he wanted to meet the Taliban.

There will be a report tomorrow from all the guys in his unit. We will see what it says, but the general consensus in the military is, we didnt want him back.

 

obviously you have no clue where the burden of proof falls

have you never heard the term, 'presumption of innocence'?


With respect to the critical facts of the case - whether the crime charged was committed and whether the defendant was the person who committed the crime - the state has the entire burden of proof.

With respect to the critical facts of the case, the defendant does not have any burden of proof whatsoever. The defendant does not have to testify, call witnesses or present any other evidence, and if the defendant elects not to testify or present evidence, this decision cannot be used against them.

The jury or judge is not to draw any negative inferences from the fact the defendant has been charged with a crime and is present in court and represented by an attorney. They must decide the case solely on evidence presented during the trial.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presumption_of_innocence

show me your source for that info or you could just admit you made it up

 

I've heard of the term. It says that someone accused of a crime is afforded the presumption of innocence in a court of law until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

However, last time I checked, this forum isn't a court of law. So we are free to base our opinions on the preponderance of evidence. Given that Bergdahl, by his own admission and in his own words, hated America and hated the military at the time he went AWOL, that's an awful lot of preponderance right there.

 

You are absolutely right. The instant experts of the PoFo are well within their rights to rush to judgement and condemnation based on gossip, hearsay and right wing innuendo motivated by a desire to attack the President who freed the soldier and thereby make fools of themselves. That is pretty much the whole point of being an instant expert.

 

Because abandoning them in nam was the better approach. Israel exhanges 100s of palis for their soldiers. its better to let them know you want your men back then to have them beheaded and the video posted all over the internet because they have no value. taliban, al qeada, the tea party, are not going to try harder now, its already extremely hard to capture a soldier, but if the oppertunity existed they would do it whether or not we did this.

 

America has negotiated with the enemy in various wars for over a century, even Bush did it. So this isn't new.

 

Exactly. The idea that somehow AlQaeda or any other enemy would not attempt to capture Americans if the USA did not negotiate is bizarre in its naivete'.

 

notice how i didn't say this forum is a court

what i'm talking about is a principle that guards people's fundamental rights

that's my point, they're just opinions which seem quite biased, so they hold little weight if any

they certainly aren't based on any real evidence that i've seen

it sounds like hearsay, not real evidence

 

http://www.armytimes.com/article/20...-reaction-mixed-Bergdahl-release?sf26808390=1

Many angrily called Bergdahl a traitor or a deserter. Stephen Kirouac, calling Bergdahl a “dirtbag” and “sympathizer,” was among many who seized on that speculation to criticize the rescued soldier.

And I speak with members of our military, current and former, on a daily basis. Ive only been out two years.

And there is no 'burden of proof'. There is you believing our lying government over the members of his unit. He wont be charged with anything. This isn't court. I dont have to prove he walked off any more than I have to prove Pat Tillman was shot by his own forces (which he was). All I have to do is listen to those who are there.

 

sure there is, it's the accuser's burden

you're confused, i don't believe either

i want to see some real evidence, not some emotional hearsay that reminds me of little girl's gossip

 

Second hand info, gossip, hearsay, innuendo, my friend's cousin's neighbor said..................I'll say it again, with probably as much effect as before, Mod edit, flounder

 

What's emotional about it? Its hearsay even if its members of his own unit?

You want the dude to walk up to your door and tell you the story first hand? Or will you dismiss that too?

"Forwarded from Jeff Howard. "We were at OP Mest, Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It was a small outpost where B Co 1-501st INF (Airbone) ran operations out of, just an Infantry platoon and ANA counterparts there. The place was an Afghan graveyard. Bergdahl had been acting a little strange, telling people he wanted to "walk the earth" and kept a little journal talking about how he was meant for better things. No one thought anything about it. He was a little “out there”. Next morning he's gone. We search everywhere, and can't find him. He left his weapon, his kit, and other sensitive items. He only took some water, a compass and a knife. We find some afghan kids shortly after who saw an american walking north asking about where the taliban are. We get hits on our voice intercepter that Taliban has him, and we were close. We come to realize the kid deserted his post, snuck out of camp and sought out Taliban… to join them. We were in a defensive position at OP Mest, where your focus is to keep people out. He knew where the blind spots were to slip out and that's what he did. It was supposed to be a 4-day mission but turned into several months of active searching. Everyone was spun up to find this guy. News outlets all over the country were putting out false information. It was hard to see, especially when we knew the truth about what happened and we lost good men trying to find him. PFC Matthew Michael Martinek, Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss, SSG Clayton Bowen, PFC Morris Walker, SSG Michael Murphrey, 2LT Darryn Andrews, were all KIA from our unit who died looking for Bergdahl. Many others from various units were wounded or killed while actively looking for Bergdahl. Fighting Increased. IEDs and enemy ambushes increased. The Taliban knew that we were looking for him in high numbers and our movements were predictable. Because of Bergdahl, more men were out in danger, and more attacks on friendly camps and positions were conducted while we were out looking for him. His actions impacted the region more than anyone wants to admit. There is also no way to know what he told the Taliban: Our movements, locations, tactics, weak points on vehicles and other things for the enemy to exploit are just a few possibilities. The Government knows full well that he deserted. It looks bad and is a good propaganda piece for the Taliban. They refuse to acknowledge it. Hell they even promoted him to Sergeant which makes me sick. I feel for his family who only want their son/brother back. They don’t know the truth, or refuse to acknowledge it as well. What he did affected his family and his whole town back home, who don’t know the truth. Either way what matters is that good men died because of him. He has been lying on all those Taliban videos about everything since his “capture”. If he ever returns, he should be tried under the UCMJ for being a deserter and judged for what he did. Bergdahl is not a hero, he is not a soldier or an Infantryman. He failed his brothers. Now, sons and daughters are growing up without their fathers who died for him and he will have to face that truth someday."

Lots of names in there. All that is taken from his twitter account. I suppose he could be lying, but if your "burden of proof" is having someone present with a GoPro on, there is no convincing you ever.

 

it's called hearsay

this:

 

This is weird.

 

Ok so you want him there at your doorstep... three or four of his friends to back him up, his grandma there to prove its him, some members from his unit (the ones that died looking for him would be nice), several generals who can verify the after action reports, and maybe a few journalists who covered this from the start...

Then its not hearsay.

 

it seems like your emotions are blocking your ability to understand what hearsay is

 

If this is legit its not going to turn out well......

 

It seems like you have an unrealistic view of what proof is.

In a court of law, his platoon coming forward and saying hes guilty would be all it takes to prove his guilt, not to mention the numerous media outlets (Washington post for example). Not in your world though.

 

The tweet is now deleted so obviously a reporter should ask Bergdahl's father what he meant by it, but my guess is that he will never get the question posed to him.

 

no, i provided a legitimate source earlier, that is the basis for my assertion

what a joke, he hasn't even been accused of anything, by anyone that has the authority to do so, legally