Prisoner Exchange: Bergdalh for 5 Taliban Commanders

[Faith No More]

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Heywood posted a link to those emails earlier in the thread. Here's a few more links about the emails, plus an interview that was done with two of those soldiers who served with Bergdahl. I don't know why you'd even look through the links though since you basically implied that you'll probably dismiss the words of his fellow grunts....and you probably won't accept the sources either since they don't align themselves with you politically...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/06/03/war...-bergdahl/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/...74557.html

“The US army is the biggest joke the world has to laugh at,” wrote Sergeant Bergdahl in an email later published by Rolling Stone magazine. “It is the army of liars, backstabbers, fools, and bullies."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/01/us/bergdah...r-or-hero/

(CNN) -- The sense of pride expressed by officials of the Obama administration at the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is not shared by many of those who served with him: veterans and soldiers who call him a deserter whose "selfish act" ended up costing the lives of better men.
"I was pissed off then, and I am even more so now with everything going on," said former Sgt. Matt Vierkant, a member of Bergdahl's platoon when he went missing on June 30, 2009. "Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war, and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him."

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I don't accept Fox News sources because I've seen enough Fox News. Regardless, until there is a court-martial, none of this does anything to raise him above the position of "suspected," and my point was that you're all too eager to just abandon him there based simply on that. There's a reason we don't sentence people at the beginning of trials.

[Minimalist]

Don't forget that Bush had no problem negotiating with terrorist during his presidency.

Neither did their icon, Reagan.

[Autumnlicious]

Code of conduct for the Military:

Just as you have a responsibility to your country under the Code of Conduct, the United States government has an equal responsibility—always to keep faith with you and stand by you as you fight for your country. If you are unfortunate enough to become a prisoner of war, you may rest assured that your government will care for your dependents and will never forget you. Furthermore, the government will use every practical means to contact, support and gain release for you and for all other prisoners of war.

Funny - I didn't see anything about suspicions of desertion voiding your status as a Serviceman.

[Dragonetti]

There isn't.

When I was still in, I would have gone to assist to bring him back. It is a duty as a fellow service member. Any of the issues he caused would be taken up by the courts.

The US Services are plague with religious nuts, but I am proud to have served. And, I never thought I would have join during my highschool or college life.

[Minimalist]

A true scandal is the percentage of veterans who come back with some degree of mental illness.

http://www.propublica.org/article/more-t...h-problems

More than half of all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans treated in Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals since 2002 have been diagnosed, at least preliminarily, with mental health problems, according to statistics obtained by the advocacy group Veterans for Common Sense.

The data, which is released quarterly, also show that the raw number of returning soldiers with psychological problems is rising. Nearly 18,000 new patients were treated for mental health issues at VA facilities in the last three months of last year—the most recent time period for which data is available—upping the total to more than 330,000.

Lets not pretend that they magically get sick the day they get out. This guy could have been batshit crazy all along.

[A Theist]

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I've posted in other threads that I support the rights of workers to organize labor unions and I also support "just cause protection" laws. I don't like some of the thuggish tactics that I've seen from the public sector unions but until states start recognizing the need for more rights of workers and begin passing "just cause protection" legislation to protect their job security I'll stick with unions.
I believe there's only one or two states in this country that have "just cause" legislation, Montana being one of them. In that state a company has to give a reason for terminating an employee. Wrongfully discharged employees in that state can sue up to four years for back pay and recover attorney's fees. It's been a while since I checked on that though, but that's how it stood unless things have changed there....

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[Autumnlicious]

Everything is risk if we look at anything. You haven't shown the five detainees still possess any ability to pose active threats to service members. Show the threat from them.


Lets evaluate your options:
1. Means more servicemen and the POW can be killed
2. There is a long history of trading prisoners
3. They can hide the money and purchase weapons/food/support for their organization

Given the above, 2 is preferable as it uses an established tradition and has least overall risk.

3 is terrible, as it appears low risk but increases the financial capabilities of which everything depends on.

Anyone can plan a bombing, but only cold hard cash can buy the materials.

Overall:

If we are spinning down the war in the Middle East, why hold onto prisoners?

Money can be exchanged and hidden, but people are singular entities that can be tracked.

They'll still have to feed any new and old terrorists.

[Hoopington]

Someone on here said that they won't be tracked and there whereabouts and activities known....really?

100% the "intelligence" services of the US of A are banking on at least one of them taking up the fight again. The cynic in me thinks the US soldier was merely a pawn and not the end game at all.