Was U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl a Traitor?

[hello_good_sir]

It would be more constructive to add to the discussion links and proofs of that "misinformation". Unless you have forum post deletion super powers...

He's just making up nonsense, the burden of proof is his.  He should edit his post to remove the misinformation.

[bryant.coleman]

State Dept: Bergdahl Was Not a Deserter
http://youtu.be/DT3HrSGl_9g

Bergdahl was not a deserter. He was a poor, young kid, who went to Afghanistan to fight the bankers wars. Should have found another job in the first place, rather than chosing to die for the politicians and the wall street demons.

[Charlie Prime]

This sucks because any kid dumb enough to join the military can formally quit and go home after they get in and see what's really going on.

Completely false.  Please edit your post to delete this misinformation.

Go read:  http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/getout.htm

While not as simple as just going AWOL, it's better to leave legally.

I purposely try to hire men who were smart enough to realize the U.S. military is a banker protection scam.

I purposely do NOT hire men who were so stupid they did a stretch without learning that fact.

[bryant.coleman]

Everyone should go through this.

Bowe Bergdahl was traded for 5 Taliban commanders. Here’s who they are

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/06/02/bowe-bergdahl-was-traded-for-5-taliban-commanders-heres-who-they-are/

[MaxwellsDemon]

It seems like the man may have been a little nuts even before he left his base. Nevertheless, he's clearly a hero. Like his parents he was always opposed to American imperialism and supported the struggle of the Afghan people for freedom. The only reason he enlisted to begin with was because he thought he could help the Afghan people that way, and that is also the reason he left the base that night. Unfortunately, it seems the Taliban (who are almost as bad as the Americans) preferred to use him as a bargaining chip rather than let him join the cause. In a sense he really is a traitor to the US, its army and its imperialist program, and for that he should be proud.

[Wilikon]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/us/us-soldier-srgt-bowe-bergdahl-of-idaho-pow-vanished-angered-his-unit.html?_r=1

[Wilikon]

It seems like the man may have been a little nuts even before he left his base. Nevertheless, he's clearly a hero. Like his parents he was always opposed to American imperialism and supported the struggle of the Afghan people for freedom. The only reason he enlisted to begin with was because he thought he could help the Afghan people that way, and that is also the reason he left the base that night. Unfortunately, it seems the Taliban (who are almost as bad as the Americans) preferred to use him as a bargaining chip rather than let him join the cause. In a sense he really is a traitor to the US, its army and its imperialist program, and for that he should be proud.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3162444/replies?c=28

[Wilikon]

[bryant.coleman]

Wilikon, the actual toll is much higher than the six soldiers which you have cited. You should also add up those soldiers, who died while trying to capture the five Taliban / Al Qaeda leaders.

[Wilikon]

Wilikon, the actual toll is much higher than the six soldiers which you have cited. You should also add up those soldiers, who died while trying to capture the five Taliban / Al Qaeda leaders.

Some numbers even go up to 14 soldiers killed, more or less linked to him. I just want to link stuff anyone can double check easily. If I ever stumble upon all those names then I will update the thread, eventually.

[Ron~Popeil]

It seems like the man may have been a little nuts even before he left his base. Nevertheless, he's clearly a hero. Like his parents he was always opposed to American imperialism and supported the struggle of the Afghan people for freedom. The only reason he enlisted to begin with was because he thought he could help the Afghan people that way, and that is also the reason he left the base that night. Unfortunately, it seems the Taliban (who are almost as bad as the Americans) preferred to use him as a bargaining chip rather than let him join the cause. In a sense he really is a traitor to the US, its army and its imperialist program, and for that he should be proud.

You lost me at "almost as bad as the Americans."

You have some good points and some bad ones but your prejudice kind of undermines them. 

[Wilikon]

http://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2014/06/03/barack-obamas-unfortunate-new-movie

[bryant.coleman]

Bergdahl to face the music.

US army chief Dempsey: Bowe Bergdahl could be prosecuted

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27682668

[Ron~Popeil]

Bergdahl to face the music.

US army chief Dempsey: Bowe Bergdahl could be prosecuted

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27682668

From what i have read about the note and everything he did it sounds a lot worse than it did at first. Especially considering the people that died trying to rescue him.

[hello_good_sir]

Go read:  http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/getout.htm

You should read your own link.  If you are a random male soldier NONE of those ways will get you out without a criminal conviction, except *possibly* conscientious objector.

Let's use a concrete example.  Imagine that I am a male soldier and that I have been in the army for one year.  I can't get pregnant and I don't think that I can convince my CO that I am an conscientious objector.  Bottom line: there is no way for me to get out without prison time.

[bryant.coleman]

From what i have read about the note and everything he did it sounds a lot worse than it did at first. Especially considering the people that died trying to rescue him.

Anyway, let's not jump in to conclusions. Just wait until the trial is over. If he is guilty of deserting, then he should be put behind bars for the rest of his life. If proven otherwise, he should be released immediately.

[Charlie Prime]

I can't get pregnant and I don't think that I can convince my CO that I am an conscientious objector.  Bottom line: there is no way for me to get out without prison time.

Wrong.  If you developed a Conscience after joining the military, you can get a lawyer and get out.

It's not easy, but it's certainly easier than living then next 50 years as a murderer and a fool.

I realize the concept of standing up for morality is foreign to you, but please understand there was a time when a man's honor was important.  People were willing to sacrifice comfort and convenience to keep their honor in tact because they knew it was the only thing which separated them from animals.

[zolace]

[...]
“I’m thinking of joining the Army,” he told his folks after ­already having signed up.

Bergdahl’s dream was to help Afghan villagers rebuild their lives and learn to defend themselves, his dad told the magazine.
“The whole ‘COIN’ thing,” Bob explained, referring to America’s strategy of counter-insurgency. “We were given a fictitious picture, an artificially created picture of what we were doing in ­Afghanistan,” the dad said.

Bowe Bergdahl would detail his disillusionment with the Afghanistan campaign in an email to his parents three days before he went missing.

“I am sorry for everything here,” he wrote. “These people need help, yet what they get is the most conceited country in the world telling them that they are nothing and that they are stupid.”
Bergdahl also complained about fellow soldiers. The battalion commander was a “conceited old fool,” he said, and the only “decent” sergeants, planning to leave the platoon “as soon as they can,” told the privates — Bergdahl then among them — “to do the same.”

“I am ashamed to be an American. And the title of US soldier is just the lie of fools,” he concluded. “I am sorry for everything. The horror that is America is disgusting.”

Bob Bergdahl responded in an email: “OBEY YOUR CONSCIENCE!”

One night, after finishing a guard-duty shift, Bowe Bergdahl asked his team leader whether there would be a problem if he left camp with his rifle and night-vision goggles — to which the team leader replied “yes.”

Bergdahl then returned to his bunker, picked up a knife, water, his diary and a camera, and left camp, according to Rolling Stone.

The next morning, he was reported missing, and later that day, a drone and four fighter jets ­began to search for him.

http://nypost.com/2014/05/31/the-bizarre-tale-of-americas-last-known-pow/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/mixed-reaction-to-bergdahls-recovery-by-service-members-who-consider-him-a-deserter/2014/06/01/3713e3ce-e9c5-11e3-b98c-72cef4a00499_story.html






http://youtu.be/XeUqBNtWpig

So, "months" after he disappeared, the government is already "pushing" people to remain silent?

Apparently this whole thing started to stink before he even left and is going downhill faster than a wagon full of fat kids. I say again: this is only going to get a whole lot worse.

[bryant.coleman]

Apparently this whole thing started to stink before he even left and is going downhill faster than a wagon full of fat kids. I say again: this is only going to get a whole lot worse.

lol... Now the prisoner exchange is over and Bergdahl is about to face the military tribunal over his alleged deserting. Let's at least hope that truth will come out of the trial. 

[MaxwellsDemon]

It seems like the man may have been a little nuts even before he left his base. Nevertheless, he's clearly a hero. Like his parents he was always opposed to American imperialism and supported the struggle of the Afghan people for freedom. The only reason he enlisted to begin with was because he thought he could help the Afghan people that way, and that is also the reason he left the base that night. Unfortunately, it seems the Taliban (who are almost as bad as the Americans) preferred to use him as a bargaining chip rather than let him join the cause. In a sense he really is a traitor to the US, its army and its imperialist program, and for that he should be proud.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3162444/replies?c=28

And right here is the problem with American libertarians. On tax day you whine and whine about the oppressive state, but when some good ol' small-town American soldiers get killed, you suddenly shed a patriotic tear and start waving your flag.

A true anarcho-capitalist will not lament the passing of those who volunteer to violently oppress others.