Remember when Bowe Bergdahl was traded for 5 Taleban leaders we had in prison? Remember the outrage in some corners over the trade? Wonder what would have been said if this trade had gone through?
Tag: Taleban
What Makes A Muslim?
Opinion from the desk of the Editor
We all have an opinion on the question…..but recently FOX News went beyond the pail…….especially that mental midget O’Reilly…….
The Fox News commentator, however, took a detour from the sweeping issues of national security to address the case of Robert Bergdahl, Bowe’s father. O’Reilly: “But it is Robert Bergdahl, the father, who is also engendering some controversy. He has learned to speak Pashto, the language of the Taliban, and looks like a Muslim. He is also somewhat sympathetic to Islam, actually thanking Allah right in front of the president.”
so according to FOX if you speak Pashto and have a beard then you may be a secret Muslim which is a buzz phrase for Taleban…….and for terrorist.
Guess what douche bags….I speak Pashto and Dari, I have a goatee and I have read the Qur’an…….does that make me sympathetic to the Taliban? If you do then you are a bigger idiot than I anticipated…….
But let’s go back to the beard thing that makes one appear to be a secret Muslim……..how about these a/holes?
Profiling is an idiot’s way of getting to the truth……..serves NO purpose.
OOPS! There Is A Thing Called The UCMJ
I have stated that I think all the FOOLS making a determination on the Bergdahl thing from hearsay are IDIOTS! Political game at the expense of a person’s life….that makes them lower than low.
Is he a deserter or not? opinions on this mean NOTHING for you see that determination will be made by a military court under the uniform code of military Justice (UCMJ). No amount of ranting by bug-eyed twats like Malkin or Douchey-bag from FOX can change that simple fact.
Under the UCMJ he may not be charged with desertion…..and now you want to know why…..right?
When is a solider a deserter? Critics have accused Bowe Bergdahl of being one; there’s even a petition to the White House calling for his punishment and a popular “Bowe Bergdahl is NOT a Hero!” Facebook page. But the Idaho Statesman pointed out on Saturday that Bergdahl was never formally named a deserter, and today Mother Jones explains more about why: A soldier isn’t a deserter until administratively classified as one, which typically happens on his 31st day of being AWOL—on unauthorized leave. Classification is not conviction, however, though it does mean the soldier could be court-martialed and possibly convicted of the felony of desertion.
If the military classifies someone as a deserter before the 31st day, officials need to prove the soldier left without intending to return—and Bergdahl was captured after just 24 hours away. If the military decides not to prosecute a deserter, it can opt for an other-than-honorable discharge, or to “retain and rehabilitate” the soldier. Whether any of this will be relevant remains to be seen: Military experts predict the Army will deem Bergdahl’s five years as a Taliban prisoner as time served. Nonetheless, the military plans to investigate Bergdahl’s case.
I am disgusted with the media, politicians and most of all the people….for they are convicting this person without evidence other than some hearsay. And he is being used as a pawn for political gain…..he does not get the benefit of doubt….whatever happened to “innocent until proven guilty”?
The American people are a PATHETIC lot!
But in case you would like to know more about the UCMJ…….I can help……..http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ucmj.htm
Read for yourself…….the words are not too big….I know how Americans hit those 50 cent words.
Did Bowe Bergdahl go AWOL in Afghanistan? – CSMonitor.com
Since his release there has been a wealth of condemnation and praise……there is even a story that he may have just walk away from his post…..the truth may not be known for months he will need to decompress and face the debriefings and then and only then will we possibly know what really happened.
I did find this piece and thought I would pass it on…..
And Then There Were Five
I see that the news of the prisoner swap is going to play out for the next few days and/or a week……depending on what new info comes to light….I expect this to die down a bit once Obama releases his new environmental issues…….we know how rabid some are about the environment, don’t we?
Anyway the US has released five former Taliban prisoners in return for the only American in captivity……okay quick quiz….name the prisoners that wee released without Google)…….(pause here for the scramble to Bing)……..
Times up……the winner is…….
- Mullah Mohammad Fazl: A senior Taliban commander wanted for allegedly killing thousands of Shiites near Kabul between 1998 and 2001.
- Mullah Norullah Noori: A senior Taliban military commander, he has governed two Afghan provinces and was wanted by the UN for war crimes. He “has remained a significant figure to Taliban supporters,” according to an NPR/New York Times database of Gitmo prisoners.
- Mohammad Nabi Omari: A top Taliban official with “strong operational ties” to the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and al-Qaeda.
- Khirullah Said Wali Khairkhwa: Also a top Taliban official, he was “directly associated” with Osama bin Laden and probably became an opium drug lord in Afghanistan to help fund the Taliban.
- Abdul Haq Wasiq: A former Taliban deputy minister of intelligence, he helped the organization forge alliances with other fundamentalist groups to battle the US and coalition forces after 9/11.
Now the big debate is whether we should have released such high ranking prisoners……I say why not?
Their positions in the make up of the Taleban have been filled…….they will not be integrated back into the field…….they may be useful in fund raising but their days as field commanders is done……….
I am sure that all precautions have been taken to keep them out of the loop…..they will be monitored 24/7………their usefulness will be very limited if at all……
Next month they will be only a fleeting thought to most Americans……their only usefulness will be to those that oppose Obama…..it is a election year after all and we know just how far some will go to win that election…..now don’t we?
Homeward Bound
Opinion from the desk of the Editor
Let me begin by saying to Bowe Bergdhal….welcome home and may your transition be smooth and uneventful……
While I was otherwise engaged over the weekend….a brouhaha has broken out….the prisoner swap….of course there is going to be two camps over the issue…..those that are happy and those that will crap on anything Obama does………let me flesh it out for you just incase you were out living life and not worried about what the mental midgets are doing…….
Bowe Bergdahl is finally coming home. The Taliban freed the American soldier it has held hostage for five years, and he is now in US custody, reports the AP. The Idaho native went missing on June 30, 2009, in southeast Afghanistan, and had been the only US soldier held captive in the country. The Army sergeant was released as part of a deal brokered by Qatar that also freed five detainees at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, reports the Washington Post. US officials say the 28-year-old seems to be in good health and was able to walk, but was under the care of military doctors.
President Obama personally delivered the news to his parents and in a statement said his release “is a reminder of America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield.” Bergdahl, believed to have been held by the Taliban offshoot Haqqani network, was turned over to US special-ops forces at an unspecified location. The five Gitmo detainees were being transferred to Qatar and will have a one-year travel ban among other security restrictions, reports the New York Times.
Like I stated earlier….the Repubs will will so appalled at the move by the admin and will make hay while they can………My first thought was that McCain will lead the way…..he did but there were others that are not happy…….
- Ted Cruz: “I do not think the way to deal with terrorists is through releasing other violent terrorists. It’s not the only way. We can go in and use military force, as needed, to rescue our fallen compatriots.” And further, “The idea that we’re now making trades … says the reason why the US has had the policy for decades of not negotiating with terrorists is because once you start doing it, every other terrorist has an incentive to capture more soldiers.”
- John McCain: “It is disturbing that these individuals would have the ability to re-enter the fight, and they are big, high-level people, possibly responsibly for the deaths of thousands.” He said that while “we’re all grateful” for Bergdahl’s release, the five detainees are the “hardest of the hardcore.”
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger: The Illinois Republican, who is an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, says, “the release of five mid- to high-level Taliban is shocking to me, especially not coming to Congress. And then putting five people potentially back on the battlefield. There are
Time to voice an opinion right/ The question first should be asked…..were these people POWs or terorists? if the answer is POW then there should be NO problem, after all I believe that is how McCain and the others were released from North Vietnam……..through negotiation.
I do not want to believe that McCain thinks that his life was more important that Bowe’s….that he somehow deserved to be released….but the more he beats his gums the more it appears so….at least to this person.
I hope that the opposition to the trade is genuine and not some lame ass political ploy…..but the more these people talk the more it is just that…….
A New Leader To Chase
Inkwell Institute
All Afghanistan all day…….
Remember the Pakistani Taleban leader that will killed 4 or 5 times? Yep, it seems for a couple of years this dude was reported killed on several occasions…..just last month our drones were actually successful in killing this “terrorist”….we know he is dead (this time) because the Taleban has admitted that he was killed……
That should be a boost to the war on the Pakistan Taleban, right?
Wrong again!
(Newser) – The Pakistani Taliban needed a new leader after its last chief was killed in a drone strike, and it has chosen the hardline commander who targeted Malala Yousafzai. Mullah Fazlullah’s men tried to assassinate the education activist last year, and he will be the “new ameer,” a Taliban spokesperson tells Reuters today. The spokesperson also declared there will be “no more” peace talks with the government, as the new leader “is already against negotiations.” (Pakistan had expressed concerns that would be the case.)
Fazlullah’s nickname is “Mullah Radio” because of his passionate and fiercely Islamist radio broadcasts, offered up on an underground radio station he set up in 2004, and even his fellow Taliban members consider him hardline. He particularly fights against girls’ education. His appointment by the leadership council was unanimous, the AP reports.
New leader and an a/hole at that…..this is the dude that lead the attack on the teenage girl in Pakistan that wanted all girls to be educated…….this guy sounds 100 times more ruthless than the prick he is replacing……that does not bode well for anyone…..especially the enemies of the Taleban………
I am sure there is a drone with his name waiting for a task to preform…….how many times can they kill this guy?
How About An Afghan Civil War?
We have all witnessed what has happened in Syria over the last year or so………and soon the Allies will start removing their troops from Afghanistan and as so many have reported…..they are not capable of protecting the fragile democracy that we have created for them…….and it has been hinted that after the withdrawal will coming a return of a Taleban led government……but how accurate is that prediction?
(Newser) – Afghanistan is in danger of descending into civil war after coalition forces end their frontline role next year, and the UK government’s strategy appears to be simply to withdraw and hope for the best, a group of British lawmakers warns. A report from a cross-party defense committee warns that coalition forces’ failure to reduce violence does not bode well for Afghanistan’s future, and the government has done little to counter the perception that the pullout is basically “withdrawal through fatigue,” the Guardian reports.
The committee said an Afghan-led peace deal with the Taliban is key to securing the country’s future, as are free elections and efforts to combat corruption and the drug trade, the BBC reports. The lawmakers expressed concern that not enough was being done to train and equip Afghan forces before the pullout. “We hope that Afghanistan can become a secure, prosperous, and flourishing country but we are concerned that Afghanistan could descend into civil war within a few years,” the report concludes.
A civil war…..much like what is happening in Syria and yet another breeding ground for AQ and its ilk…….there will be enough weapons lying around to fuel such a war……and there are enough corrupt government officials around to make the case for a regime change……….and then there will be the lack of America ‘enforcers’ on the ground….to me it sounds like a breeding ground….as always I ask my readers……what are your thoughts?
The “Talebanization” Of Mali?
Inkwell Institute
Subject: West Africa/Sub-Saharan Africa
I recently wrote a post about the civil war that is breaking out in the African country of Mali…..it seems that is very little interests in the doings in Africa unless it is some lame bullet point in a campaign or some slow day in news…..and then something blows up and there is massive indignant outcry for why this happen with no one noticing….well I notice stuff and I try to keep my readers up-to-date on situation that could prove a bit sticky for the US….and the rest of the world…..
My previous post was about the possibility of AQ making a stand in the north of Mali…..that there was a possibility that they could find a new home to avoid the massive attacks by drones they suffer with today….and then there is the argument that Malians would possibly become a yet another country with the extremism of the Taleban in Afghanistan….is that a concern? A real concern?
I also wanted to know the answer because of the spread of extremism in the Muslim world and in doing my research I found a good analysis written by Brian J. Peterson for AllAfrica.com……..
Mali is at the far moderate end of the spectrum of Islamic societies. Talk to Malian Muslims about Islam today, and they will likely say something about peace, tolerance and unity. Therefore, the brand of Islam being advocated by the Islamists in the north simply does not mirror what the vast majority of Malian Muslims value in their religion. In fact, most Malians are loosely affiliated with one of the major Sufi brotherhoods, such as the Tijaniyya, Hamawiyya or Qadiriyya. However, there are many Malians who simply identify themselves as “Sunni,” or ahl al-Sunna (which non-reformists label as “Wahhabi”), usually indicating that they belong to the wider reform movement. These reformists state that the only real difference between them and Sufis is that they pray with “arms crossed” and their wives wear veils. Otherwise, many of them participate in community-level Sufi rituals and celebrations. In other words, the boundaries between reformists and Sufis are not quite as rigid as outside observers might think.
There is another reason for this: Malians have a long history of resisting jihads and attempts at forced conversion. This is not to say that in the long run jihads always failed in spreading Islam. The nineteenth-century Muslim scholar and state-builder El Hajj Umar Tall left an enduring legacy in the region, despite the resistance that his wars provoked, particularly in the Bamana heartland. However, the historical and anthropological literature is replete with cases of Malians resisting the efforts of Muslim states and preachers seeking to impose Islam on them.
Malian peasants have generally refused to accept forced conversion efforts, whether by firebrand preachers or state-builders. They cite the “No Compulsion” verse from the Qur’an, as one elderly informant stated: “On the path of Allah, there is no need for forcing Islam on people. After the descent of the Quran, Allah said that there is no more compulsion in religion. This cannot be done.” Later, there were efforts by “Wahhabis” at imposing reformist ideas on rural Muslims. Once the “Wahhabis” showed their intolerance by criticizing Sufi holy men, engaging in street battles over the correct way to pray, defiling the tombs of saints, and generating “conflict” (fitna) between Muslims, they were rejected.
For these reasons, local imams and ordinary Muslims have stated that they don’t need any foreigners coming to tell them how to conduct their religious lives. Thus, when Malian Muslims hear about the violent efforts of Iyad ag-Ghali and other Salafists linked to Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, they see no religious legitimacy or theological rationale for their wars. They are already Muslim, so there is no justification for bringing war to Muslim communities. They see the northern jihadists as warlords aimed at pillaging Malian people and lands for personal gain, while using Islam as an ideological tool to manipulate and dominate vulnerable people.
I believe that any extremism will be met with extreme individuality by the Malians….AQ may find a foothold in West Africa but it will be to little or NO consequence….but with that said….it does warrant monitoring….nothing is for certain……especially in the Sahara. My concern is that since the US military is now operating in Africa that someone could start a real problem that could force the US into actions that could be disastrous…..
Hopefully this week was a bit educational for my readers and gave them some thought that nothing is insignificant. I realize that most Americans could care less about some obscure country in sub-Sahara, but keep in mind that these same people felt the same way about some obscure little country in Central Asia–Afghanistan! And look what that got us.