American POW freed

[Rick 67]

SkyDekker

I read somewhere that he had left base like this before, but returned.

If that is true, that certainly raises some other questions. Would also make deserting harder to prove, since that would include the intentention to not return.

There are just so many unknowns at this point. What is known is that DOD hasn't always been that truthful about "facts", which makes this even harder to assess.

what I heard on CNN this morning is he had walked away from some training detachment but later returned this was in the U.S.

You can't be drunk all day if you don't start early!

[jclalor 12]

Rick

***I read somewhere that he had left base like this before, but returned.

If that is true, that certainly raises some other questions. Would also make deserting harder to prove, since that would include the intentention to not return.

There are just so many unknowns at this point. What is known is that DOD hasn't always been that truthful about "facts", which makes this even harder to assess.

what I heard on CNN this morning is he had walked away from some training detachment but later returned this was in the U.S.

From part of the Rollings stone article.

Then, on June 25th, Bowe's battalion suffered its first casualty of the deployment. A popular officer, 1st Lt. Brian Bradshaw, was killed in a blast from a roadside bomb near the village of Yaya Kheyl, not far from the outpost. Though Bradshaw was in a different company, the 24-year-old's death rocked the unit, shattering the sense of invulnerability that accompanies those who have just arrived in country. Bowe's father believes that Bradshaw and Bowe had grown close at the National Training Center, and his death darkened his son's mood. It was all too much for Bowe. On June 27th, he sent what would be his final e-mai­ to his parents. It was a lengthy message documenting his complete disillusionment with the war effort. He opened it by addressing it simply to "mom, dad."

"The future is too good to waste on lies," Bowe wrote. "And life is way too short to care for the damnation of others, as well as to spend it helping fools with their ideas that are wrong. I have seen their ideas and I am ashamed to even be american. The horror of the self-righteous arrogance that they thrive in. It is all revolting."

The e-mail went on to list a series of complaints: Three good sergeants, Bowe said, had been forced to move to another company, and "one of the biggest shit bags is being put in charge of the team." His battalion commander was a "conceited old fool." The military system itself was broken: "In the US army you are cut down for being honest... but if you are a conceited brown nosing shit bag you will be allowed to do what ever you want, and you will be handed your higher rank... The system is wrong. I am ashamed to be an american. And the title of US soldier is just the lie of fools." The soldiers he actually admired were planning on leaving: "The US army is the biggest joke the world has to laugh at. It is the army of liars, backstabbers, fools, and bullies. The few good SGTs are getting out as soon as they can, and they are telling us privates to do the same."

In the second-to-last paragraph of the e-mail, Bowe wrote about his broader disgust with America's approach to the war – an effort, on the ground, that seemed to represent the exact opposite of the kind of concerted campaign to win the "hearts and minds" of average Afghans envisioned by counterinsurgency strategists. "I am sorry for everything here," Bowe told his parents. "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, that they have no idea how to live." He then referred to what his parents believe may have been a formative, possibly traumatic event: seeing an Afghan child run over by an MRAP. "We don't even care when we hear each other talk about running their children down in the dirt streets with our armored trucks... We make fun of them in front of their faces, and laugh at them for not understanding we are insulting them."

Bowe concluded his e-mail with what, in another context, might read as a suicide note. "I am sorry for everything," he wrote. "The horror that is america is disgusting." Then he signed off with a final message to his mother and father. "There are a few more boxes coming to you guys," he said, referring to his uniform and books, which he had already packed up and shipped off. "Feel free to open them, and use them."

On June 27th, at 10:43 p.m., Bob Bergdahl responded to his son's final message not long after he received it. His subject line was titled: OBEY YOUR CONSCIENCE!

"Dear Bowe," he wrote. "In matters of life and death, and especially at war, it is never safe to ignore ones' conscience. Ethics demands obedience to our conscience. It is best to also have a systematic oral defense of what our conscience demands. Stand with like minded men when possible." He signed it simply "dad."

Ordinary soldiers, especially raw recruits facing combat for the first time, respond to the horror of war in all sorts of ways. Some take their own lives: After years of seemingly endless war and repeat deployments, active­duty soldiers in the U.S. Army are currently committing suicide at a record rate, 25 percent higher than the civilian population. Other soldiers lash out with unauthorized acts of violence: the staff sergeant charged with murdering 17 Afghan civilians in their homes last March; the notorious "Kill Team" of U.S. soldiers who went on a shooting spree in 2010, murdering civilians for sport and taking parts of their corpses for trophies. Many come home permanently traumatized, unable to block out the nightmares.

Bowe Bergdahl had a different response. He decided to walk away.

In the early-morning hours of June 30th, according to soldiers in the unit, Bowe approached his team leader not long after he got off guard duty and asked his superior a simple question: If I were to leave the base, would it cause problems if I took my sensitive equipment?

Yes, his team leader responded – if you took your rifle and night-vision goggles, that would cause problems.

Bowe returned to his barracks, a roughly built bunker of plywood and sandbags. He gathered up water, a knife, his digital camera and his diary. Then he slipped off the outpost.

Bowe might have spent his childhood hiking in the mountains of Idaho, but the terrain he now faced was nothing like back home. To get to Pakistan, he would first have to descend some 1,500 feet from the mountain outpost and skirt the village of Yaya Kheyl, a town known for harboring Taliban. At that hour, there would be few people on the main road through Paktiki, dubbed "Route Audi" by U.S. forces. But as dawn broke, a stream of motorbikes and pedestrians would start to pass by. Alone, white-skinned and likely wearing his Army uniform, Bowe would have stood out immediately.

If Bowe made it through town, the next step would be even more daunting: He would have to slog eight miles through deep sand so fine that soldiers called it "moondust." If he was lucky, he might pick up a path used by Kuchi nomadic tribesmen to bring their sheep to market. Along the way, Bowe would pass grave sites: tall stacks of rocks marked by bright flags. Then he'd be forced to climb back up the switchbacks to Omna, where his platoon had been bogged down on its first major mission, traverse the Bermel Plateau, and once again scale mountain peaks to cross the border into Pakistan.

At 9:00 that morning, the acting platoon leader, Sgt. 1st Class Larry Hein, called in over the radio to report a missing soldier. According to sources in the battalion, this was the last thing Hein needed, given all the scrutiny the unit had been under. The men needed a break. Instead, they had to find a member of their platoon. "That was a shitty week for all of them," says one soldier in the unit.

By 11:37 a.m., a Predator drone was on station, monitoring the area with a call sign of VOODOO. At 2:10 p.m., a Pathfinder and a team of tracking dogs arrived at the small outpost. Five minutes later, another Predator drone began circling the area. At 2:42, Guardrail – an electronic intercept plane run by the same clandestine Army agency that killed Pablo Escobar – captured low-level voice intercepts picked up from radio or cellphone traffic. An American soldier with a camera was reportedly looking for someone who spoke English.

The search quickly escalated. No one knew whether Bowe was a deserter,­ a prisoner or a casualty. At that point he was simply listed as DUSTWUN – short for "Duty Status: Whereabouts Unknown." But either way, the Army wanted him back, fast. At 4:42 that afternoon, Col. Michael Howard, the senior officer responsible for three eastern provinces in Afghanistan, ordered that "all operations will cease until the missing soldier is found. All assets will be focused on the DUSTWUN situation and sustainment operations."

Within an hour, two F-18s were circling overhead. Afghan forces passed along intelligence that a U.S. soldier had been captured by the Taliban. By that evening, two F-15s – call sign DUDE-21 – had joined the search. A few minutes later, according­ to files obtained by WikiLeaks, a radio transmission intercepted by U.S. forces stated that the Taliban had captured­ three civilians and one U.S. soldier. The battalion leading the manhunt entered and searched three compounds in the area, but found nothing significant to report.

The next morning, more than 24 hours after Bowe had vanished, U.S. intelligence intercepted a conversation between two Taliban fighters:

"I SWEAR THAT I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING YET. WHAT HAPPENED. IS THAT TRUE THAT THEY CAPTURED AN AMERICAN GUY?"

"YES THEY DID. HE IS ALIVE. THERE IS NO WHERE HE CAN GO (LOL)" "IS HE STILL ALIVE?"

"YES HE IS ALIVE. BUT I DONT HAVE THE WHOLE STORY. DONT KNOW IF THEY WERE FIGHTING. ALL I KNOW IF THEY WERE FIGHTING. ALL I KNOW THAT THEY CAPTURE HIM ALIVE AND THEY ARE WITH HIM RIGHT NOW."

Then another intercept was picked up:

"CUT THE HEAD OFF"

Later that evening, a final intercept confirmed that Bowe had been captured by the Taliban, who were preparing an ambush for the search party.

"WE ARE WAITING FOR THEM."

"LOL THEY KNOW WHERE HE IS BUT THEY KEEP GOING TO WRONG AREA."

"OK SET UP THE WORK FOR THEM."

"YES WE HAVE A LOT OF IED ON THE ROAD."

"GOD WILLING WE WILL DO IT."

"WE WERE ATTACKING THE POST HE WAS SITTING TAKING EXPLETIVE HE HAD NO GUN WITH HIM. HE WAS TAKING EXPLETIVE, HE HAS NOT CLEANED HIS BUTT YET." "WHAT SHAME FOR THEM."

"YES LOOK THEY HAVE ALL AMERICANS, ANA HELICOPTERS THE PLANES ARE LOOKING FOR HIM."

"I THINK HE IS BIG SHOT THAT WHY THEY ARE LOOKING FOR HIM."

A third voice chimed in:

"CAN YOU GUYS MAKE A VIDEO OF HIM AND ANNOUNCE IT ALL OVER AFGHANISTAN THAT WE HAVE ONE OF THE AMERICANS."

"WE ALREADY HAVE A VIDEO OF HIM."

The next day, American forces had a chance to free Bowe. The battalion operations officer, call sign GERONIMO 3, met with two tribal elders from the nearby village. The elders had been asked by the Taliban to arrange a trade with U.S. forces. The insurgents wanted 15 of their jailed fighters released, along with an unidentified sum of money, in exchange for Bowe. The officer hedged, unwilling or unable to make such a bargain, and no deal was struck. Instead, the Army ordered all units stationed in the eastern half of Afghanistan – known as RC East, in military jargon – to join the search for Bowe.



Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/americas-last-prisoner-of-war-20120607#ixzz33sbbKNVP
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook

[masterrig 1]

...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2650114/EXCLUSIVE-Mr-President-Commander-Chief-Get-jail-US-Marine-rotting-away-Mexican-prison-making-driving-mistake-begs-Obama-help-free-did-Bowe-Bergdahl.html


Chuck

[kelpdiver 2]

masterrig

...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

there's a world of difference between the two.

Sloppy mistake or not, Americans who get caught in other countries with guns or drugs are subject to that nation's laws. He is hardly a prisoner of war.

The starting point for the family is the State Department, not the President. This UK article doesn't mention any response other than the 911 operator.

[masterrig 1]

kelpdiver

***...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

there's a world of difference between the two.

Sloppy mistake or not, Americans who get caught in other countries with guns or drugs are subject to that nation's laws. He is hardly a prisoner of war.

The starting point for the family is the State Department, not the President. This UK article doesn't mention any response other than the 911 operator.

I thought the idea was that we get Americans back home then deal with any other matters. I get the impression you don't agree with that. Both men screwed-up... one gets traded for and comes home. The other gets to rot in a Mexican prison. Yeah, that's fair.


Chuck

[propblast 0]

kelpdiver

***...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

there's a world of difference between the two.

Sloppy mistake or not, Americans who get caught in other countries with guns or drugs are subject to that nation's laws. He is hardly a prisoner of war.

The starting point for the family is the State Department, not the President. This UK article doesn't mention any response other than the 911 operator.

BB was not a POW either

Propblast

[Amazon 7]

propblast

******...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

there's a world of difference between the two.

Sloppy mistake or not, Americans who get caught in other countries with guns or drugs are subject to that nation's laws. He is hardly a prisoner of war.

The starting point for the family is the State Department, not the President. This UK article doesn't mention any response other than the 911 operator.

BB was not a POW either

Guilty before proved innocent... way to defend the Constitution of the Disgruntled States of Right Wingery.

[kelpdiver 2]

Amazon

Guilty before proved innocent... way to defend the Constitution of the Disgruntled States of Right Wingery.

just goes back to what we already knew - Obama could resurrect Jesus Christ and we'd have people here finding fault, like forgetting to bring back Mary.

[propblast 0]

Amazon

*********...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

there's a world of difference between the two.

Sloppy mistake or not, Americans who get caught in other countries with guns or drugs are subject to that nation's laws. He is hardly a prisoner of war.

The starting point for the family is the State Department, not the President. This UK article doesn't mention any response other than the 911 operator.

BB was not a POW either

Guilty before proved innocent... way to defend the Constitution of the Disgruntled States of Right Wingery.

You know nothing about me but make that sweeping statement.

How very open minded of you.

Perhaps I look at the evidence that has been posted including the Rolling Stone article.( which is not know as a publication of the right wing)and make a informed opinion instead of one based Wiley on your hatred of the other political party.

Propblast

[kelpdiver 2]

masterrig

I thought the idea was that we get Americans back home then deal with any other matters. I get the impression you don't agree with that. Both men screwed-up... one gets traded for and comes home. The other gets to rot in a Mexican prison. Yeah, that's fair.

is it any less fair than holding people indefinitely in Guantanamo without trial? And who would we trade for here - does Mexico actually want back their people who commit crimes in the United States?

As I said, the State Department exists for these concerns, and it would be informative to see how they responded to the family.

[Amazon 7]

propblast

************...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

there's a world of difference between the two.

Sloppy mistake or not, Americans who get caught in other countries with guns or drugs are subject to that nation's laws. He is hardly a prisoner of war.

The starting point for the family is the State Department, not the President. This UK article doesn't mention any response other than the 911 operator.

BB was not a POW either

Guilty before proved innocent... way to defend the Constitution of the Disgruntled States of Right Wingery.

You know nothing about me but make that sweeping statement.

How very open minded of you.

Perhaps I look at the evidence that has been posted including the Rolling Stone article.( which is not know as a publication of the right wing)and make a informed opinion instead of one based Wiley on your hatred of the other political party.

Project much there guy???

Personally I will wait for the finding of the courts martial.

I have been watching the POW-MIA sites for a few years and everything was bring Bowe Home.. Do not forget Bowe... now.. like you he has been convicted by the right wing guys creaming their jeans on command from the Tea Baggery Right. As I said before... the guy may be a douche... but he is our douche... and last I checked we really do try to repatriate ALL Americans. It is part of the deal.

[turtlespeed 220]

Amazon

*********...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

there's a world of difference between the two.

Sloppy mistake or not, Americans who get caught in other countries with guns or drugs are subject to that nation's laws. He is hardly a prisoner of war.

The starting point for the family is the State Department, not the President. This UK article doesn't mention any response other than the 911 operator.

BB was not a POW either

Guilty before proved innocent... way to defend the Constitution of the Disgruntled States of Right Wingery.

You type non words as well as Funjumper

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[turtlespeed 220]

Andy9o8

Quote

I don't think that it is in question that he left on his on accord.

Has he confessed to this? If not, what non-circumstantial evidence of this do you have?

As I said above, I don't deny the circumstantial evidence, but so far that's all it is: circumstantial (unless he's confessed in the meantime, or you know something about the evidence I don't).

You do know about the note he left behind, right?

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[Amazon 7]

turtlespeed

************...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

there's a world of difference between the two.

Sloppy mistake or not, Americans who get caught in other countries with guns or drugs are subject to that nation's laws. He is hardly a prisoner of war.

The starting point for the family is the State Department, not the President. This UK article doesn't mention any response other than the 911 operator.

BB was not a POW either

Guilty before proved innocent... way to defend the Constitution of the Disgruntled States of Right Wingery.

You type non words as well as Funjumper

But you know EXACTLY what I am saying.... I think I got my point across.

[propblast 0]

Amazon

***************...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

there's a world of difference between the two.

Sloppy mistake or not, Americans who get caught in other countries with guns or drugs are subject to that nation's laws. He is hardly a prisoner of war.

The starting point for the family is the State Department, not the President. This UK article doesn't mention any response other than the 911 operator.

BB was not a POW either

Guilty before proved innocent... way to defend the Constitution of the Disgruntled States of Right Wingery.

You know nothing about me but make that sweeping statement.

How very open minded of you.

Perhaps I look at the evidence that has been posted including the Rolling Stone article.( which is not know as a publication of the right wing)and make a informed opinion instead of one based Wiley on your hatred of the other political party.

Project much there guy???

Personally I will wait for the finding of the courts martial.

I have been watching the POW-MIA sites for a few years and everything was bring Bowe Home.. Do not forget Bowe... now.. like you he has been convicted by the right wing guys creaming their jeans on command from the Tea Baggery Right. As I said before... the guy may be a douche... but he is our douche... and last I checked we really do try to repatriate ALL Americans. It is part of the deal.

Listen. You said it not me. Or did I just imagine all that right Wingery talk above? Look through this thread. We got him home I support it. I don't agree with the method but it is done. He is not and never was a POW. He is a traitor and should be hung. I'm also sure he won't be. Many good men died looking for him. That is a fact. That you can't argue with me. Although I am sure you will try.

He made his bed. He is being called out. He should pay. People jumping on his band wagon or making it a political issue just amaze me. But please continue your poorly informed weak argument.

You will find out that you are wrong with time.


Enjoy your eve.

Propblast

[Amazon 7]

propblast

******************...and what about this Marine? Or is Obama 'selective' in who he gets freedom for?

there's a world of difference between the two.

Sloppy mistake or not, Americans who get caught in other countries with guns or drugs are subject to that nation's laws. He is hardly a prisoner of war.

The starting point for the family is the State Department, not the President. This UK article doesn't mention any response other than the 911 operator.

BB was not a POW either

Guilty before proved innocent... way to defend the Constitution of the Disgruntled States of Right Wingery.

You know nothing about me but make that sweeping statement.

How very open minded of you.

Perhaps I look at the evidence that has been posted including the Rolling Stone article.( which is not know as a publication of the right wing)and make a informed opinion instead of one based Wiley on your hatred of the other political party.

Project much there guy???

Personally I will wait for the finding of the courts martial.

I have been watching the POW-MIA sites for a few years and everything was bring Bowe Home.. Do not forget Bowe... now.. like you he has been convicted by the right wing guys creaming their jeans on command from the Tea Baggery Right. As I said before... the guy may be a douche... but he is our douche... and last I checked we really do try to repatriate ALL Americans. It is part of the deal.

Listen. You said it not me. Or did I just imagine all that right Wingery talk above? Look through this thread. We got him home I support it. I don't agree with the method but it is done. He is not and never was a POW. He is a traitor and should be hung. I'm also sure he won't be. Many good men died looking for him. That is NOT a fact. That you can't argue with me. Although I am sure you will try.

He made his bed. He is being called out. He should pay. People jumping on his band wagon or making it a political issue just amaze me. But please continue your poorly informed weak argument.

You will find out that you are wrong with time.


Enjoy your eve.

The NYT article.. pointed out the FACT that the bunch of guys searching for him was BULLSHIT...

Speaking of ill informed... perhaps other news sources than The Blaze and FAUX would be an enlightening start.. but I tend to doubt it... they have spun up the lie machine... and it seems their loyal followers have found truthiness once again.

I am enjoying it.. thanks.

[propblast 0]

You continue to prove my point. You are to dense to realize it.

Glad you are btw.

Propblast

[Amazon 7]

propblast

You continue to prove my point. You are to dense to realize it.

Glad you are btw.

I Fart in your general direction


Time will tell as it always does.. there is no right wing or left wing truth... facts and truth are one.
Truthiness is the big lie.

[Amazon 7]

rushmc

I believe in the world of Obama, this is seen as evolving (if I correctly remember the term that was used)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EifnM3pRLdQ

I guess this counts as "evolving" as you call it.

[freethefly 6]

Quote

We got him home I support it... He is a traitor and should be hung.

WOW, glad that I will never need your support.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/06/politics/bowe-bergdahl-release/

Quote

From the article:

A U.S. official said Bergdahl may have tried to run away two times, but the only way to know for sure would come from talking to him.

According to a Taliban source, Bergdahl's captors stopped keeping a close eye on him in 2011, and Bergdahl used the opportunity to bolt, CNN's Jake Tapper reported.

Bergdahl survived on his own for three days, according to an account in the Daily Beast. Then the Taliban found him hiding in a trench he'd dug with his bare hands.

"He fought like a boxer," the Taliban source said of Bergdahl, who was overcome and dragged back in shackles.

According to the Army investigation, Bergdahl had previously wandered off or disappeared -- once in basic training in Irwin, California, when he slipped away to watch the sun set, and again after arriving in Afghanistan, when fellow soldiers said he took a stroll outside the wired perimeter of his outpost.

If he did, in fact, desert, the truth will come out. In the meantime, the real face of many in this country has been revealed. Hang him???? WTF? We are suppose to be a country that follow the rule of law, not a country that condemns based on what Fox news spews from their high and almighty pulpit.

As a veteran, myself, I feel that a deserter should be tried under the UCMJ, if found that the person did desert. Until it is proven, I will not join the chorus of condemnation. That is not the American way.

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[masterrig 1]

kelpdiver

***
I thought the idea was that we get Americans back home then deal with any other matters. I get the impression you don't agree with that. Both men screwed-up... one gets traded for and comes home. The other gets to rot in a Mexican prison. Yeah, that's fair.

is it any less fair than holding people indefinitely in Guantanamo without trial? And who would we trade for here - does Mexico actually want back their people who commit crimes in the United States?

As I said, the State Department exists for these concerns, and it would be informative to see how they responded to the family.

You're more concerned about the welfare of known terrorists than you are a U.S, Marine being held in a Mexican jail? I haven't seen where their own country has done anything until now to get them freed. The State Dept. has basically turned their back on that Marine. I'm having a hard time with the logic here.


Chuck

[normiss 798]

He is not under the constitution.
UCMJ comes first.

[GeorgiaDon 362]

Quote

You're more concerned about the welfare of known terrorists than you are a U.S, Marine being held in a Mexican jail? I haven't seen where their own country has done anything until now to get them freed. The State Dept. has basically turned their back on that Marine. I'm having a hard time with the logic here.

So Chuck, do you believe that only Marines should be free to go into other countries and violate their laws with impunity, or does that "right" apply to all Americans? How would you feel about foreigners who come into the US, violate our laws, then claim immunity because they served in their country's military? Should we give a pass to all those illegal immigrants you're so concerned about, if they can prove they served in the Mexican military in the past?

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[jclalor 12]

masterrig

******
I thought the idea was that we get Americans back home then deal with any other matters. I get the impression you don't agree with that. Both men screwed-up... one gets traded for and comes home. The other gets to rot in a Mexican prison. Yeah, that's fair.

is it any less fair than holding people indefinitely in Guantanamo without trial? And who would we trade for here - does Mexico actually want back their people who commit crimes in the United States?

As I said, the State Department exists for these concerns, and it would be informative to see how they responded to the family.

You're more concerned about the welfare of known terrorists than you are a U.S, Marine being held in a Mexican jail? I haven't seen where their own country has done anything until now to get them freed. The State Dept. has basically turned their back on that Marine. I'm having a hard time with the logic here.


One thing I haven't heard, was this guy's weapons loaded or unloaded when he was arrested in Mexico? If they were loaded, he would already be in violation of California law

Chuck

[freethefly 6]

GeorgiaDon

Quote

You're more concerned about the welfare of known terrorists than you are a U.S, Marine being held in a Mexican jail? I haven't seen where their own country has done anything until now to get them freed. The State Dept. has basically turned their back on that Marine. I'm having a hard time with the logic here.

So Chuck, do you believe that only Marines should be free to go into other countries and violate their laws with impunity, or does that "right" apply to all Americans? How would you feel about foreigners who come into the US, violate our laws, then claim immunity because they served in their country's military? Should we give a pass to all those illegal immigrants you're so concerned about, if they can prove they served in the Mexican military in the past?

Don

Why was he driving around with three loaded weapons (pistol in the door pocket, rifle on the passenger seat and, shotgun behind the seat) and, more than 400 rounds? It has been reported that he was being treated for mental instability (fear that he was being targeted by the government.)

This guy needs help. He had attempted to slit his throat with a broken light bulb after being detained (reason he was restrained to a bed to prevent him from harming himself.) Obvious there is more to this story that is not being told.

He has been able to call his mother and had told her that he is being treated fairly and believes that he will be released.

I hope that he comes home soon and is able to get the help that he badly needs to resolve his issues.

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young