Recently, President Obama exchanged five Taliban leaders for an American POW, Bowe Bergdahl. One prisoner for five is an iffy trade to begin with — but even moreso when it was revealed that Bergdahl had deserted his post. So, Obama got his man, but there was a lot of collateral damage — it kind of reminds us of a movie we once saw. . .
Nice pic of Obi hangin’ with his homies…
Elias! You LIKED that collage featuring the President of the U.S.?
It evidences, sadly, the resort, once again, to puerility before the facts are known. “Rush to judgment” is putting it mildly, and it just shows DESPERATION.
Why, the OCA’s Holy Synod has been slower to judgment than our George! “Breaking News!!!” “This Just In!!”
DESPERATION, NAKED DESPERATION.
Could there be anything slimier for an American to do than call an American soldier released from five years confinement in Afghanistan a “weasel? ”
Even General McChrystal, NO FRIEND of the President who fired him, justified the President’s actions. But all the draft-dodgers and armchair generals watching TV get their jollies by jumping on Bergdahl. Get a life, people, get a life! You make Pooko Harum or whatever look intelligent and spiritual!!!
“Could there be anything slimier for an American to do than call an American soldier released from five years confinement in Afghanistan a “weasel? ””
Yes, inviting the Taliban sympathizing father of a deserter to the White House in a political ploy to distract from the killing of vets at home, and sending out the liar who covered for the abandonment of four American heros behind, to praise said deserter as being “honorable and distinguished.”
Get a clue, your grace.
I liked “Inviting a Taliban sympathizing father of a deserter to the White House.” Sympathy for the Taliban, my boy, ORIGINATED in the White House when Sgt. Bergdahl was in infant, if not before, in case you’ve been on another planet. They are creations of the U.S. and its military establishment.
I believe the Army’s General Orders pertain to Guard Duty. Was Sgt. Bergdahl assigned to Guard Duty and did he walk off his Guard Post? “Post” may also mean “installation’, and walking off an installation is hardly deserting one’s post. You’re off base there Isa. I believe he may have gone AWOL, but AWOL is not automatically desertion no matter where it takes place.
A charge of Desertion under the UCMJ requires a specification. Do you know, Isa,what the specifications of desertion are that would subject someone to punishment? What is required to prove desertion according to the UCMJ?
Bishop “How Thin Can You Slice the Baloney” Tikhon, who never misses an opportunity to blame Christians for Islamic terror, embraces moral equivalency when discussing Islam and Christianity and blames America for all the world’s problems, apparently is too busy apologizing for the release of murderous Islamists and running cover for Prez. Hussein Obama to bother looking up the technical definition of “desertion”:
He missed that bothersome “OR” and that annoying “temporary” qualifier. Damn the truth, full speed ahead with the propaganda!
Tune in next week when BT ponders how many
terroristsreligion of peace followers can dance on the head of a grenademurderouslyrighteously lobbed at theChristiansinfidels.“I liked “Inviting a Taliban sympathizing father of a deserter to the White House.” Sympathy for the Taliban, my boy, ORIGINATED in the White House when Sgt. Bergdahl was in infant, if not before, in case you’ve been on another planet. They are creations of the U.S. and its military establishment.”
Yes, I am well aware of that. I think I might have told the story of meeting Afghan cab drivers in DC and telling my colleague “We will be fighting them in twenty years.” That was in 1983.
Some people learn from their mistakes. The brain dead learn neither from their own mistakes, nor from the mistakes of others.
“You’re off base there Isa.”
See what I mean.
“Do you know, Isa,what the specifications of desertion are that would subject someone to punishment? What is required to prove desertion according to the UCMJ?”
Sorry, Your Grace, like a good Orthodox, I eschew Jesuitry. “Lawyer” is legalese for “hired professional liar.” Which is why so many enter politics. Even washed up lawyers like Hussain.
“Like a good Orthodox.”
The American military credo of “Leave no man behind” does not apply to soldiers who voluntarily leave their post, desert, and violate their oath.
“J.Maropoulakis Denney,” Are you saying you know more about an American military credo than a U.S.Army General, like General McChrystal?”
Where did you get your expertise? Where did YOU serve? How and by whom, exactly was Sgt Bergdahl found guilty of desertion? Of violating his oath? Do you have some inside information not known to General McChrystal? Are you the moral arbiter of the United States military?
No, I am not the “the moral arbiter of the United States military”, just one man with an opinion, just like you. The only difference is, my opinion regarding desertion is based on fact and history, yours on ideology. BTW, did you hear that one of the 5 Islamist terrorists that Obama sent back into the fight was responsible for the death of the first American Killed in Afghanistan? http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/06/13/family-first-american-killed-in-afghanistan-learns-freed-taliban-leader-was/
So, you DO say that you know more about the American military credo than General McChrystal.
What I said. That makes you the moral arbiter, rather than the General. He’s a veteran of Afghanistan, as you must know.
Is there anyone ;posting here that does NOT know that the Taliban are the creation of the U.S. Government since long before President Obam’as incumbency? Is it not interesting that Iran has been fighting the Taliban longer than the U.S. and has helped the U.S. in that?
I think it’s a stretch if not a fib, to say that Fazi killed that girl’s CIA agent father, the interrogator of Taliban prisoners who rebelled and killed him. Why Fox News itself, AT THE LINK cited said, rather THIS:
“Fazi was the commander of the Taliban in the north at the time of the uprising and the prisoners took orders from him. Although he was not detained at the facility until days after the uprising, he is believed to have been in direct contact with the prisoners.”
Just saying—it is YOUR link!
If I recall correctly, muslim shari’a law requires the testimony of two (three?) women to equal that of one man, sort of like american slaves were considered to be three-fifths of a person (five then counted for three in censuses).
Bearing things like that in mind, I wondered if maybe we and the Taliban must consider their Gitmo confederates relatively worthless, if five of them equal one american soldier.
Does no one get that Guantanamo detention center should have been closed early in the first administration? And then there is the extensions of the wars. And then there are the prisoner swaps.
There is a difference between closing Gitmo (which I agree with) and swapping five of the Taliban masterminds for a soldier who looks like he deserted more and more every day.
Close Gitmo, and then put these guys before a judge, if found innocent of intent to wreak havoc let them go, if not put them in military prison away from the rest of the population.
There are so very many issues here, but the two I wish to highlight are: How many died in order to capture those five and how many lives will they end up taking now that they’ve been freed? If they end up becoming productive and peaceful members of the world community, I have no problem with this trade. My suspicion, however, is that they will only bring grief to many, and joy to few.
Patrioti!
Remember this 25th Anniversary!
http://wilsonquarterly.com/stories/tiananmen-square-at-25/
When Washington produces a circus sideshow, often it is to divert attention from a more weighty matter, or to selectively stain another current event. Perhaps it is the VA scandal. Or perhaps simply it was timed by the President’s Marxist handlers to sully the observance of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, when the English speaking world was still capable of great courage and sacrifice.
http://wilsoncenter.org/event/if-it%E2%80%99s-not-cold-war-what-it
Here’s the truth that the hate-America left refuses to confront: Islamist terrorism is a world-wide satanic ideology that seeks world domination, and operates through many nations, nationalities, and ethnic groups. It is a loose network that shares common goals and tactics. Islamism has been on a mission to do this for 1,400 years, and has slaughtered tens of millions of infidels as well as other Muslims in its centuries-long Jihad, which obviously began long before American foreign policy was a factor. What we face from this ideology in the Middle East, Asia, in Africa, and here at home is very real and ominous. Those here in America who fail to recognize this reality, including Barrack, are essentially a 5th column, always acting to attack those who would defend America, and condemning nearly every act of valor by Americans in this war. (unless, of course, it can be attributed to his eminence Barrack, then it magically becomes a wonderful thing). In reality, Barrack has dangerously weakened America, both against the enemy of Islamist terrorism, and in Europe. If this traitor is not impeached or if he doesn’t resign, the consequences that America will pay for his years in office will be horrific
Hey, Mr Denney, didn’t the previous president proclaim that Islam was a religion of peace? Let’s not forget what went on then. And iraq was pretty much a ‘secular state’ under Saddam. He kept the religionists in line. Now there is chaos.
And we can’t quit meddling with everyone else, everywhere. Will we ever learn?
J. Marupoulakis doesn’t realize that the Muslim extremists say EXACTLY the same thing about Christianity and they have the same emotional and mental set. He looks at a Muslim, of any denomination or sort and sees Satan. He’s the mirror-image of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who called America the Great Satan in reply to being called the Axis of EVIL.
Marupoulakis-Jihadist…Same ole, same ole.
file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Jim/My%20Documents/Islam/Ibraham-Islamic%20War%20Doctrine.htm
Sorry, apparently my attempt at posting a link failed miserably.
Let me try this again. You seem to arguing a moral equivalency between Islam and Christianity. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that Islam is demonic, and has a universal mission to subjugate ofr kill all “infidels”. Christianity has no such mission against non-Christians, and never has. Please note that I use the terms Islam or Islamist. Individual Muslims must be judged as individuals, and should not be presumed evil. They too have the Holy Spirit; what they do with it is a matter of human free will. I pray that they will realize the truth and come to the Church. Raymond Ibrahim has it right: http://victorhanson.com/wordpress/?p=2935
“He’s the mirror-image of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who called America the Great Satan in reply to being called the Axis of EVIL.”
LOL.
Khomeini called the US the Great Satan on November 5, 1979, the day after the Iranians seized the US Embassy and started the Hostage Crisis. Bush called Iran part of the Axis of Evil in the 2002 State of the Union, by which time Khomeini was dead over a dozen years and hence deprived of any means of replying.
Another example I’m afraid of your grace’s inability to grasp the concept of cause and effect.
You’re right in this, Isa. I should have written, ‘He’s the mirror image of W., who called Iran the Axis of Evil in response to and imitation of the Ayatollah’s having called America the Great Satan.’
I think your statement that I lack the ability to grasp the concept of cause and effect does not follow from anything that I wrote, but is an expression of some kind of emotional pathology.
Isa, my boy, i make many mistakes: I am sometimes wrong, but to say that I lack the ability to grasp the concept of cause and effect indicates a GREAT failure in socialization on your part.
” I am sometimes wrong, but to say that I lack the ability to grasp the concept of cause and effect indicates a GREAT failure in socialization on your part.”
Saying the emperor (or bishop?) is wearing no clothes constitutes a failure of socialization? Yes, I’m sure to the herd of independent minds on stampede from SF down Main Street, I’m sure it does.
This is a bishop Tikon of California moment. Good old Texas against stripped clubs but has lousy stats on teens having babies, few teens are married these days when they have babies. Texas is in the top 5 for this. Also, the highest in repeat teen births. Texas Republicans preach about morality but there state has about double or triple the number of children out if wedlock compared to Mormon Utah. Evangelicals don’t practice what they preach on sexual morality or can’t get Hispanic Catholic kids in Texas either.
We bring our soldiers home, even if they’re not the best of the bunch. If he was AWOL or a deserter (which are two different things), then he should be brought to justice in a military court, but we should not rush to judgement before the court renders its verdict.
As for the five Taliban, they’ve been out of action for a long time now and presumably been replaced by other leaders. That doesn’t make them any less odious, but the nature of POW swaps is that the good side has to give up some bad guys to get its guys back. Pat Buchanan had a good column on how this deal really isn’t all that unique.
I do object to Obama not informing Congress beforehand as per the law, and I also object to Allen West, John McCain, and others flip-flopping on the issue.
The American military credo of “Leave no man behind” does not apply to soldiers who voluntarily leave their post, desert, and violate their oath.
Alleged deserters should be tried by a military court and if found guilty, the appropriate punishment applied. This hasn’t happened with Bergdahl yet, so yes, “Leave no man behind” does apply. I suppose he could have been tried in absentia, but he wasn’t, so he is not (yet) a deserter.
It does not apply. Deserters are only court martialed after they are captured. We do not “trade” high ranking Islamist terrorist enemy combatants for deserters, we do not try to rescue deserters. If they are caught, they are punished.
I don’t think that “Leave no man behind” is the issue. It’s whether or not we negotiate with and give freedom to terrorists to leave no one behind. I don’t think we’ve done this before, at least not to this magnitude. Unfortunately for us, our current President is a leader of many ‘firsts’ – bad firsts.
“I don’t think we’ve done this before”
We have negotiated POW trades with North Korea and North Vietnam. We traded arms to the Iranians for hostages. The Israelis have traded high-ranking Palestinian terrorists for Israeli soldiers (even for the remains of Israeli soldiers). Such actions are hardly new in the world.
On a related point, Menachem Begin, Nelson Mandela, and Yasser Arafat were all labeled terrorists at one point or another, but the US has had working relationships with all of them.
Yeah well I’m not exactly sure North Korean and Iranian government cronies are the same thing as these Taliban terrorist masterminds (Pentagon’s words, not mine). And if I’m not mistaken, the hostages we traded for weren’t as questionable as this soldier. Iran and North Korea are, more or less, political fodder for ratings. They are bad – don’t get me wrong. Both are a platform for terrorists. But they’re not that powerhouse our politically, ailing Presidents want you to believe they are. Both nations are top heavy, both are starving, and both could be actually taken out by the nearest western backed nation. Israel could obliterate Iran in a day.
This is the second time I’ve read this parallel and it really doesn’t hold the H2O. If we’re going to get into the history, then we funded and armed both the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the 80s against the Russians and Iraq. We funded, armed, and our “private” armies fought with the Mujaheddin backed Albanians in Europe against Serbs and Macedonians as well. These I will by more than Iran Contra.
I feel that the propaganda poster at the head of this section would have been absolutely ADORED by the couple in recent news that murdered those two policemen eating their lunch..
And perhaps the Pakistani Taliban should get an honorary NRA membership. You know, “Nuclear weapons do not kill people; people kill people.” I’m surprised the 2nd Amendment cultists have not come out FOR nuclear proliferation, and protest in the streets against the government’s Unamerican attitude toward Iran!
You have such darkness and hatred in you, it’s disgusting. There is no discernment or wisdom in most of the vile smears you post here. There is no common sense. Unhinged rantings!
There no indication in your comments that you are a follower of Christ, let alone a bishop of the Holy Orthodox Church. You sound just like Frank Schaeffer the ‘Christian Atheist’ who takes every opportunity to attack and denigrate and insult all Christians who do not share his radical progressive and liberal dogmas.
“Centurion,” you and Isa need very badly to get a life—a life in Christ!
Unable to discuss what I write, you instead point to my faults which are discoveries to no one, especially me.
Frank Schaeffer is like me, an Orthodox Christian and a sinner. I get that.
And I know that ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc” does not, despite Isa, equal cause and effect.
“I feel that the propaganda poster at the head of this section would have been absolutely ADORED by the couple in recent news that murdered those two policemen eating their lunch”
Are you telling us something about the couple, or your self, your grace?
“And perhaps the Pakistani Taliban should get an honorary NRA membership. ”
Naw. As has been pointed out to your grace before, they, like the Left, want all the guns for themselves.
Isa, I missed that previous pointing out. Please point us to it.
Alas Your Grace! It seems that the search function on this site does not search posts, and, like I recently stated
https://www.monomakhos.com/gop-1854-2013-rip/#comment-77449
I have only just so much time
Oh, I forget to reply to Isa in answer to his question, “Are you telling us something about the couple, or your self, your grace?” The answer is “Neither, Isa.” I discussed nothing ABOUT either the couple or myself, but about the constipated soul that posted the collage of President Obama and bearded men, perhaps Greeks.
Ah. Denial.
Bishop Tikhon Fitzgerald,
Please check page 9 of the June 16, 2014 The Weekly Standard and you should be able to see that our gracious host was posting the real faces of The Taliban Five.
Anna. My point: what difference does it make whose faces are pasted into a propaganda photo of the President? Why not use the faces of Procol Harum or that African group? Nothing gracious about that at all. I’ll repeat: whoever put that collage together is one of those constipated souls who STILL can’t get over that the American electorate elected Mr. Obama as our president twice.
It’s too bad these sorts can’t build and present a more intelligent opposition to jihadists and anti-Christian monsters, but have to resort to sticking their tongues out with early 20th century slogans and posters. Their motto: Atttack. it doesn’t matter who, just be found to be attacking someone lest you be found to be soft.