The Release Of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
Posted by Michelle Moquin on June 5th, 2014
Good morning!
Donna: Thanks for being the one to bring this up. That was the one area that I was not in agreement with, with the writer Zaron Burnett. I was HOPEing a man would say it, (yeah right.) but leave it up to a woman to broach the topic.
PS: My apologies to my readers and to Zaron Burnett for not posting Burnett as the name of the writer. Some of you may have thought it was Lewis. The writer of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Rape Culture” is Zaron Burnett. I have added his name to the write.
Owen: I HOPE you’re right but considering the amount of negative comments I am not counting on it.
Ismael: Thank you!
Brittany: My thoughts exactly. If you didn’t think it was that bad, you do now. HOPEfully it will inspire women to get it together.
Raymond: I couldn’t even read past your second paragraph and there is no point since like most men you are more concerned about yourself and could care less about women. The point is “men” rape, women do not. It is men raping women and men raping men. Men are doing the horrific act, not women. So forgive me if I have no sympathy for what men do to men. I’m only concerned about what men do to women. If you don’t like men raping men, then talk to the men.
Robert: Right on. Well stated.
Jason: Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Social Butterfly: More like it is “too right on.” It has been said before not in these exact words, “Men’s worst fear is that they will be yelled at, laughed at, or embarrassed…women fear being killed,” but you get the point.
Ruth: Yes, it can be depressing but let’s HOPE it is more motivating, and once the shock of the comments is over, women will woman up.
David, Ira: You both called it. They fell right into. No doubt it is embarrassing. But are you both embarrassed enough to do something?
Michael: Be my guest and do the kicking. I’ll be here applauding and cheering you on. And if you’re shoes get worn out, I’ll buy you another pair. Deal?
Jacob: I hear ya. Why not address your question to the men? Maybe they’ll respond to you, and we’ll all learn the answer. If it weren’t for women they wouldn’t exist but they seem to have selective amnesia when it comes to knowing how they arrived here.
Bill: Oh yeah. That’s exactly what they are saying. But like Adolfo said, “What do you expect from men who have only thought of themselves all their lives?”
It’s time for women to think only of ourselves and other women. To woman up, get out from under men, and get into office. It’s really simple. We have the majority vote…we could have the power. We just have to come together and take it.
Ladies: Are you with me?
Now…onto today’s write. Let’s switch it up a bit shall we?
From Think Progress:
Not Left Behind
What You Need To Know About The Release Of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
On Saturday, President Barack Obama announced the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the last remaining American prisoner in Afghanistan, in exchange for five Taliban-linked militants imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay. The right-wing has attempted to transform the issue into a criticism of the Commander-in-Chief. The details around Sgt. Bergdahl are murky — he may have been a deserter, and the Pentagon is reviewing claims that U.S. soldiers died while attempting to rescue him. His father has roundly criticized the War in Afghanistan. But Think Progress has been covering the developing story, and we’ve pulled together five key posts that cover what you need to know:
Obama Blasts Critics On Bergdahl Release. On Tuesday, President Obama defended his administration’s decision to bring home U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity. “The United States has always had a pretty sacred rule, and that is: we don’t leave our men or women in uniform behind,” Obama said at a press conference while in Warsaw, Poland. “Regardless of the circumstances, we still get an American soldier back if he’s held in captivity. Period. Full stop.”
Why The Five Taliban Detainees Had To Be Released Soon, No Matter What. When wars end, prisoners taken custody must be released. These five Guantanamo detainees were almost all members of the Taliban, according to the biographies of the five detainees that the Afghan Analysts Network compiled in 2012. None were facing charges in either military or civilian courts for their actions. It remains an open question whether the end of U.S. involvement in the armed conflict in Afghanistan requires that all Guantanamo detainees must be released. But there is no doubt that Taliban detainees captured in Afghanistan must be released because the armed conflict against the Taliban will be over.
Former Bush Official Blasts GOP On Bergdahl: Bush Would Have Done The Same Thing. A former Bush administration official broke with Republicans on Tuesday to defend President Obama’s prisoner exchange, arguing that since “the war in Afghanistan is winding down,” the United States would be required to return prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay back to Afghanistan. “I don’t see how these particular Taliban officials could ever have been tried in the southern district of New York,” John Bellinger, who served as an adviser to President George W. Bush explained during an appearance on Fox News Tuesday.
Lawmakers Change Their Minds After Demanding ‘Every Effort’ Be Made To Free Bergdahl In the clearest contradiction, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in February that he “would be inclined to support” “an exchange of prisoners for our American fighting man,” like the one Taliban officials had offered in 2012. He has since labeled Obama’s deal “ill-founded” and a “mistake.”
Fox Contributor Says Bowe Bergdahl’s Dad Claimed The White House For Islam. Fox News contributor and former GOP congressman Allen West believes he has uncovered a nefarious plot by recently rescued American POW Bowe Bergdahl’s father to claim the White House for Islam. This is a great example of the pipeline of crazy anti-Muslim claims and conspiracy theories described in the 2011 the Center for American Progress report Fear, Inc: The Islamophobia Network in America: “Experts” like Clare Lopez provide highly questionable analysis to uninformed pundits like Allen West, who then pass this information on to their credulous audiences.
BOTTOM LINE: When a war ends, the United States does not leave its men and women in uniform behind. Regardless of the details surrounding the case, an American soldier held in captivity by enemy combatants has returned to U.S soil. That’s a good thing.
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Readers: If you want to hear more, Rachel Maddow had a good segment about this as well on her show. Here it is for your perusal. Start at the beginning if you want to hear Maddow’s lead up to it, which I think is worth a watch. But if you’re short on time and want to get to the meat of it, start ay 8:00.
Right wing organizes bashing of American POW
******
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Peace & love….
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
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michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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June 6th, 2014 at 12:12 am
Watermelon Prevents Sore Muscles
Don’t you love how great it feels to take a hike, hit the gym, do some yard work or otherwise move your muscles? And don’t you hate how sore your poor muscles feel the next day? Ah, if only there were a way to get a good workout without suffering the after-aches.
There is, a new study suggests…and it’s not only simple and economical, it’s tasty, too. The secret weapon: Watermelon.
Though watermelon has a reputation for being mostly, well, water—plus natural sugar—it’s actually pretty nutritious. Watermelon is high in vitamins A and C…ounce for ounce, it contains more of the powerful antioxidant lycopene than the much touted tomato…and it is one of only a few foods that provides L-citrulline, an amino acid our kidneys use to make arginine, a powerful vasodilator that can improve blood flow.
Some studies suggest that L-citrulline boosts athletic performance by increasing the amount of oxygen brought to muscles during exercise, which is why L-citrulline supplements are marketed for athletes.
The new study, however, suggests that there’s a better way than supplements to get your L-citrulline…and that soreness prevention rather than performance enhancement is the true benefit.
The first part of the study took place in the laboratory, with the purpose of determining L-citrulline’s bioavailability. Cells that mimicked the construction and function of the lining of human intestines were placed in petri dishes and exposed to one of three concoctions…
Natural watermelon juice, made by liquefying watermelon pulp in a juicer (this is basically what winds up in your digestive tract after you eat watermelon).
Watermelon juice that had been pasteurized by heating it to 175°F for 40 seconds (as commercially available bottled watermelon juice typically is to increase its shelf life).
An L-citrulline supplement mixed with water.
The researchers then measured the amount of L-citrulline that was absorbed by the intestine-like cells. Findings: Natural watermelon juice had a significantly higher absorption rate (18.87%) than the pasteurized juice (13.19%) or the supplement (11.85%)—meaning that the unadulterated watermelon juice provided the most bioavailable form of L-citrulline.
The next part of the study took place in a gym. Participants included physically active young men who, over the course of two weeks, performed the same exercise routine three times. Each time, one hour before starting their workouts, they drank 17 ounces of either natural, unpasteurized watermelon juice (containing 1.17 grams of L-citrulline)…unpasteurized watermelon juice enriched with extra L-citrulline (for a total of 6.0 grams of L-citrulline)…or a placebo drink (an infusion of fruits and other plants that did not contain L-citrulline).
All of the drinks looked alike and had the same natural sugar content. Participants were not told what the drinks contained or what effects the researchers were looking for.
The men wore heart rate monitors while riding stationary bikes at a very heavy resistance setting. They periodically rated their perceived exertion levels during the workouts…and reported their degree of muscle soreness 24 hours and 48 hours after completing the exercise routines. Each participant did the workout on three separate occasions so that everyone’s reaction to each drink could be measured.
Results: Participants reported significantly less muscle soreness 24 hours after drinking watermelon juice than after drinking the placebo concoction. (After 48 hours, soreness levels were minimal no matter which drink was consumed.)
Interestingly, post-exercise soreness ratings were the same with the natural watermelon juice as with the enriched watermelon juice—suggesting that the unadulterated juice provided enough L-citrulline to reduce muscle soreness, and that the extra dose of L-citrulline in the enriched juice did not provide any additional benefit.
Surprisingly, given L-citrulline’s reputation as a performance enhancer, there were no differences in cycling speed, heart rate or perceived exertion no matter which drink the participants consumed before their workouts. However, it’s possible that consuming watermelon might enhance performance not on the same day, but rather on subsequent days, by making your muscles less sore and therefore allowing you to work out harder.
It’s also possible that, if you consistently consume watermelon, then this performance boost might be ongoing. Further research would be needed to explore that theory…and also to determine how helpful watermelon juice might be for other types of people, such as women, for novice exercises or for elite athletes. These researchers hope to do additional studies on watermelon juice in the near future.
In the meantime, though, if you’re anticipating a strenuous workout, why not pull out your juicer and make some watermelon juice or just eat some watermelon before you exert yourself to see if this keeps your muscles from aching afterward?
To get the same 1.17 grams of L-citrulline used in the study, you would need to drink 17 ounces of watermelon juice…or eat about four cups of cut-up watermelon cubes.
Source: Encarna Aguayo, PhD, associate professor, department of food engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Spain. Her study was published in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
June 6th, 2014 at 1:52 am
The honest truth is it doesn’t matter what President Obama does, the republicans will claim it is wrong.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:12 am
The only thing you can count on is that the republicans will use this to spin all kinds of lives to make Obama look bad. They will attack the military, the hostage, or anything else they can to accomplish their goal of destroying Obama.
Whatever you hear negative about Bowe Bergdahl should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. Remember how the republicans swift boated Kerry with their lives. The bush boys even went after McCain when they ran against him.
Speaking of McCain, here is a man who has no morals. He will say and do anything to make americans regret Obama’s win against him.The guy has always been a opportunist. He is a crook that never saw a dollar he would turn down.
The only real thing you can be sure of is that the right will be ruthless in their attempts to make Obama look weak or traitorous.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:16 am
Here is the TRUTH, from someone on the ground. 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 that 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.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:30 am
GOPvictory#4. I read your account carefully. One glaring hole appears. If I gave you the benefit of the doubt about everything else you said, I would still end up with this question.
How do you know that “sought out Taliban…to join them.” ?I guess in you eagerness to defame Bergdah you just couldn’t resist adding that extra little goodie. You people are despicable.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:32 am
GOPvictory#4 – First, thank you for your service to this country. Second, thank you for raising important points that must be thoroughly investigated quickly. Whether Bergdahl was just out for a stroll, deserted his post or left to seek out the Taliban and collaborate with them, we must know the facts and he must face the consequences if his actions were as you indicate.
This is a sad day when our government negotiates with terrorists and worse yet if they traded the freedom of five known terrorists for one American who may turn out to be a traitor. One would have thought the investigation would have been conducted first.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:32 am
GOPvictory#4, the only thing you really know for a fact is that he disappeared from your unit. I’m not discounting your version of it, but it’s really just your version of it. I’ll reserve judgement.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:37 am
Fred#6, your said “This is a sad day when our government negotiates with terrorists..”, funny how we never hear you republicans voice those sentiments when your side is doing it.
Or have you forgotten that Reagan traded weapons for the release of the Iran hostages.
Nor do you care that you are distorting the fact that other presidents like both bushes did the same.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:39 am
Forgive me Fred#6, if I don’t rush to follow your obvious attempt to give credibility to the possibility LSOS GOPvictory#4.
I’m just not ready to thank him for his service to this country until I know for sure he isn’t just another fucking republican liar.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:43 am
Kaplan#7, There are details in here I can confirm. This is the legit account at the tactical level. Bergdahl is a deserter and abandon his post. What exactly drove him to do this is something he’ll have to explain to the parents, spouses and children of the Soldiers killed looking for him.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:50 am
Frasier#10, and just why the fuck should anyone believe you that this is the ” legit account at the tactical level.”
You people on the right are known for pretending to be something you aren’t. Every person is entitled to a fair trail before they are found guilty. You republican fucks are lynching him in the press.
I would wonder what your motive was if I hadn’t heard how you creeps had no qualms about secretly meeting to destroy the government if necessary to defeat Obama. So it certainly wouldn’t be above you to sacrifice the reputation of this soldier (the only one so far we know for certain was a soldier) to destroy Obama.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:53 am
Sorry Frasier#10, you have the same credibility issues GOPvictory#4 or anyone who claims to be in on the details has. We don’t know if you are lying.
However, we for certainly know that GOPvictory#4′s party will stoop to any level to accomplish their goals. So forgive me if I reserve judgment until I get the facts and I don’t mean fox fake facts.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:57 am
“There are details in here I can confirm” – Frasier#10. Exactly who are you that you can confirm anything? You are not talking to fox’s audience here.
This is Michelle’s blog and we are a bit more cerebral than that crowd that follows the Fox fake facts channel.
June 6th, 2014 at 2:58 am
Frasier#10, He wrote emails to his parents that give explanation to the why.
June 6th, 2014 at 3:01 am
Kaplan#7, Members of the unit and their leaders were forced to sign a non disclosure agreement not to discuss this story. The media won’t do its job, so where do you think you are going to get more information?
June 6th, 2014 at 3:02 am
GOPvictory#4, prove who you are.
June 6th, 2014 at 3:04 am
GOPvictory #4 – I think it will come out that you are telling the truth. So sorry good men died trying to look for him.
June 6th, 2014 at 3:06 am
Simon#14, I heard that he bad mouthed the U.S. etc. He also mailed personal belongings home…?? Then not long afterwards left the outpost in the night. Serious issues.
All his actions are punishable by UCMJ. The only thing that stops me from wanting to see him spend the rest of his life in jail is knowing the Taliban were using him as their little boy toy.
June 6th, 2014 at 3:09 am
Westley#15, it that were true the non disclosure agreement would only effective while Bergdahl was being held captive.
But you knew that, just hoped I wouldn’t. You pieces of shit will sully anyone to get to Obama.
June 6th, 2014 at 3:14 am
GOPvictory#4, Fred#6, Simon#14 and anyone else you add to the “I know something you don’t know” thread won’t be able to use that fox fake news tactic here.
Trying to give credibility to your lead liar by coming in with other fake facts to bolster GOPvictory#4, false claim won’t fly. We need to see some credentials to accept your innuendoes and lies.
June 6th, 2014 at 3:16 am
Janet#16,why should anyone prove who they are? This account is spot on. The truth will be known. Bergdahl is a deserter and his actions were devastating. Don’t look through this through your Obamot goggles… learn the facts.
June 6th, 2014 at 3:17 am
Janet#16, prove that you are not Obama or Chuck Hagel?
June 6th, 2014 at 3:21 am
Yes it would be good if you proved who you are GOPvictory#4. Maybe even go to the press if all this is true! The People want to know the truth!
I would say the same to those of you posting negative remarks against Berghal claiming to know for personal facts that he is a traitor. I suspect you won’t go the press because you would be exposed as the LSOSs you are.
But hey, keep the lies coming. I am anxious to see how far with this charade you will go.
June 6th, 2014 at 5:23 am
GOPvictory#4. ” voice intercepter ” What a BS’er. Don’t steal any valor, you’ll be tracked down.
June 6th, 2014 at 5:32 am
GOPvictory#4 – It is not hard to see the threads of teamwork are very lines of no tolerance. Either way he started out with a vow to the United States. I do not see that disappearing over jibber jabber.
Whether his tactics failed is not a question it is obvious. Lessons are to be learned as to what failed, whether he was ambushed while watering the bushes or slipped out for a better so-called strategy.
The worst is the fact that a 4 day tour turned into a months of unplanned blood shed trying to rejoin the ties between him and is subordinates.
Thank you for service. Rest-in-Peace PFC Matthew Michael Martinek, Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss, SSG Clayton Bowen, PFC Morris Walker, SSG Michael Murphrey, 2LT Darryn Andrews.
June 6th, 2014 at 5:33 am
GOPvictory#4, If YOU are telling the truth, This guy should be court martialed and spend many years in Prison. If YOU are telling the truth, He should be charged with the deaths of everyone of the Soldiers who got killed looking for him.
IF, YOU are telling the truth and have all of these details correct, why did no one go after him when you and others saw him walking away.
June 6th, 2014 at 5:36 am
There are serious issues being raised here. Frankly any question as to whether Bergdahl deserted or not should have been fully investigated and made public. We haven’t seen any evidence that was done.
In addition, negotiating with terrorists is never a good idea. Once they see their tactic works, they will be more inclined to grab other Americans and see if they can get more of their comrades out of Gitmo. Of course, if they do this often enough, Pres. Obama might not have to worry about where to send the prisoners when he closes Gitmo.
June 6th, 2014 at 5:40 am
This guy walked off the base and decided to collaborate with the Taliban. The Taliban used him as a pawn to retrieve captured prisoners. Looks like it worked out for them. Another brilliant Obama military strategy.
ABC is actually believing the Obama story on this guy, and as usual, no investigative journalism, unless it has to do with a republican official.
June 6th, 2014 at 5:48 am
Fred#27, you Obama bashers will say anything to achieve your goals. As for your sneak attempt to label him with giving the Taliban or al Qaeda reason to take prisoners, they already grab any American soldier they can.
I bet you never mentioned that charge when republican presidents were making deals with the enemy. You people are worse than the Taliban or al Qaeda. At least we can see them coming when they attempt to destroy the country.
June 6th, 2014 at 5:52 am
Jackson#28, Neither you nor any of the others posting here knows at this point why this soldier walked off his base. He hardly “collaborated with the Taliban” if he was their prisoner for 5 years, and not once did the army describe him as a deserter or collaborator.
In fact, they gave him promotions AFTER his capture. You can bash liberals all you want, but aside from some prominent Republican naysayers who toe the party line, Americans of ALL political persuasions are happy that his man is free, including conservative citizens of his home town.
June 6th, 2014 at 5:55 am
Hans#30, every party agrees that he walked off post. That’s called “desertion”. The administration is not releasing any facts because then people would lose all sympathy. Better to play the bureaucratic angle – “let’s wait until all the facts are known”.
They have already interrogated him, why isn’t the public getting a two sentence statement of why he was captured? Oh wait… that’s “national security”, from the most transparent administration ever. I’m a liberal, but then again, spineless wusses like Obama sicken even us liberals.
June 6th, 2014 at 5:57 am
Hans, his fellow soldiers call him a deserter.
June 6th, 2014 at 5:58 am
Hans#30, he played Badminton regulary and drank tea while being held as a “prisoner” Are you too drunk on zerObama Kool-Aid to see reality and that this was all a big distraction from Shinseki’s resignation?
June 6th, 2014 at 6:00 am
Hans#30, We also know that the Father Converted to Islam and wrote ” I am working to free all GITMO prisoners, Allah will repay for the death of every Afghan child” so we don’t know, they failed to follow the law and notify congress . . . and we released a man that led the slaughter of an entire village of 6,000 people, with not even a promise they he would not return to terrorism.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:06 am
You trolls for the right must think you are on the fox fake news channel singing to your choir. You are on Michelle’s blog. Your unsubstantiated bullshit won’t fly, no matter how many liars or pseudonyms you use to try to buttress you point.
Lies are lies like the Bengazhi shit you ran on an on about and the President was born in Kenya. You assholes have no principles, anything or anyone is fair game if it or them will help you get Obama.
You are the worst of America’s enemies.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:08 am
Exactly zero americans are going to die because 5 taliban were released. It’s funny that the same folks who were all upset about drone strikes, as well as the paranoid delusion (Alex Jones, etc.) that swear Obama is trying to microchip people via vaccines, then all of a sudden freak out when these 5 guys are released.
Nobody on the right can ever be consistent in their criticisms of Obama. He’s either incompetent, or too sneaky, or too arrogant, or bows to other leaders, etc.
Too powerful, too weak, etc.
Have you ever wondered what you’re going to do with your life come 2017, and you no longer have Obama to complain about 24/7?
June 6th, 2014 at 6:13 am
Gitmo should have been closed a long time ago. If the republicans weren’t so stuck on breaking the law of the land by keeping prisoners people who have not been proven to have done anything against american interest, it would have.
Only under republican administrations do we waterboard prisoners. Interestingly the gutless wonders who used all their political connections to dodge putting their lives at risk for their country have no problem putting their fellow country men’s lives in jeopardy.
Please don’t insult our intelligence by pretending you are concerned that making the exchange to free an american who did put his life at risk is a slight on Obama.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:15 am
You people on the right will say anything. His father is an idiot! Growing a beard and speaking “their language”. That is all BS.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:23 am
I can see how easily it is to convenience idiots with this kind of salting the initial claim of the big lie by GOPvictory#4, with additional “facts” contributed by others who claim to know things that we little people don’t.
Hello, we are NOT those idiots. So until the liars can identify themselves and show they have the knowledge they claim they have we will choose not to believe in “Weapons of Mass Destruction by Sadam, Benghazi conspiracies, hidden birth certificates and other right bullshit.
But hey, you’re welcome to come here and try.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:28 am
Neil#34, more hyperbola and lies. There was prisoner in Gitmo that “led the slaughter of an entire village of 6,000 people.”
You LSOS will just make any claim to get your choir mad as hell at Obama. You are a pathetic bunch of liars.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:28 am
Hans#30, we do know that he asked for permission to leave, was denied and then walked off the base. We know they have brutalized all other hostages, and treated this one differently for what ever reason.
And we know that this was claimed “ 2010, The Taliban claimed U.S. soldier Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had converted to Islam and had taught them bomb-making techniques.”
June 6th, 2014 at 6:33 am
You creeps making all these inflammatory claims against this man in order to make Obama seem weak should be ashamed of yourselves.
You did the same thing to Kerry when that decorated war hero ran for the Presidency. What bastards you are. Please give your sources to support your claim Bode Bergdahl ‘walked off his base’. Of course we expect the citations to be in accepted APS style.
I mean really if you actually had any real proof you would be glad to tell the world who you were and get that money from the Koch brothers.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:36 am
Wow, Neil#41, I bet the government would love to have your sources or could that be fox or the Koch brothers.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:36 am
Neil#41, and of course…the Taliban never lies.
June 6th, 2014 at 6:38 am
OMG, how ignorant your choir must be Neil#41. After decades of setting ieds, the Taliban and al Qaeda needed the american Bowe Bergdahl to teach them how to make bombs.
Wow! I’m in the know now.
June 6th, 2014 at 8:40 am
5 New Travel Scams:
New Distress Call Trick
We often caution readers against announcing vacations because of the risk burglars will strike while they’re away.
But this year there’s a new twist and it’s a cunning variation of the distressed call or grandparent scam.
Crooks comb through Facebook looking for details of people’s travel plans.
Then they identify friends of the vacationer and contact them by phone or email, posing as the traveler, claiming to be in trouble and in urgent need of money.
This is much more convincing than the regular grandparent scam because the crook already knows both the name of the person they’re impersonating, their relationship with the traveler and where they are supposed to be vacationing, so the call can seem quite genuine.
Acton: What gives this trick and so many others away is that the crook always asks for money to be wired or a prepaid debit card to be used.
That’s a red flag. But if you have reason to think it may be genuine, invent the name of a relative who might be with them and ask how they’re doing.
Finally, ask for full address and contact details and check them out independently. For example, ask where they’re staying, then get the accommodation phone number from the Internet and try to call them.
There’s an outside chance that a friend or relative might be in trouble and need money but it’s highly unlikely.
Hotel Internet Scam
If your vacation plans include a hotel stay, make sure you know and fully understand their Internet access package.
Mostly, these days, Wi-Fi access is free but a few hotels still make a charge, especially in Mexico and some overseas destinations.
But the real problem — and this has happened in several places in the US — is when a hacker creates a fake network that looks identical to the hotel’s own setup.
When victims log on to the bogus network, they’re told they have to pay and are asked for their credit card details.
So they’re at double risk — first of being ripped off and second of having their card details used for identity theft.
Action: If you’re asked for your card details when you try to access the Internet in a hotel, it’s likely a scam because the hotel probably already has these.
If you’re in doubt and you haven’t already checked, stop what you’re doing and contact the front desk for details of the payment arrangements.
Overpriced Pedicabs
In some countries, including the US, pedicabs — cycle-powered “rickshaws” — are not as heavily regulated in the way that taxis are. They don’t have meters, so, if you don’t get a fare quote before you set out, you could easily be ripped off.
For example, the New York Post recently reported that a couple of tourists were charged $720 for a 20-minute ride.
The newspaper said that card-readers plugged into smartphones make it possible for drivers to accept credit cards, meaning that victims who are short of cash or don’t understand the currency conversion are easier to trick.
Action: Ask the fare before you set off and, if you’re abroad, make sure you know how much that is in dollars.
We advise that you should pay in cash anyway. Why would you want to give your card details to a “driver” you don’t know?
ATM Distraction Gangs
We’ve written many times about the way crooks try to distract your attention while an accomplice steals your wallet.
But alarm is growing in some European destinations, notably Paris, France, of gangs who lurk at ATMs (or cashpoints as they’re often called in Europe).
There might be five, six or even more, usually teenagers.
As the victim tries to withdraw cash, they all start tapping or talking to him/her. Eventually, they turn to pushing and jostling, during which time the money is grabbed either from the ATM or the victim’s hands.
Action: Try to avoid using an ATM alone. Have someone else stand by to keep watch.
If not, try to use an ATM inside a bank — and always keep your eyes peeled for groups of people milling around.
Prize Mules
Drug smugglers have hit on a great way of tricking innocent travelers into “mules,” transporting their illicit products.
They organize a competition in which the prize is two air tickets and a luggage set.
Then they conceal drugs in the suitcase linings and arrange for the suitcases to be “lifted” at the destination airport or hotel.
It’s risky, since the winners might not use the new luggage, but incidents have been reported — most recently in a shipment between Australia and Canada that was discovered by the winners themselves.
Their “prize” contained 3-1/2 kilos of methamphetamine.
Action: You have been warned!