thoughts on this POW nonsense?

[ivan]

i don't know that i've reached a conclusion meself, but some random thoughts:

 

- the soviets generally didn't give a fuck about POWs and even executed them often on repatriation under the assumption they were all fuckign cowards and traitors - do the folks who want this guy thrown to the wolves usually find themselves on the same side as the russkis that much?

 

- the same folks who want this guy punished also want snowden hung up by his balls - yet both guys need to actually be present in the coutnry to do so - so why is it treason to bring this feller back and simultaneously treason to not drag snowden back?

 

- the same vicious bastards drone on and on about a complete lack of due process and respect for the law in the current admin - doesn't old boy need a trial before punishment?

 

- tens of thousands of members of the Greatest Generation went AWOL - how many of them were executed or had any sort of serious penalty?

 

- william calley was responsible for the nazi-style murder of hundreds of civilians and ended up serving a couple months of x-box - is chickening out, if that's what happened, really that worse?

 

- if you want this dude punished, didn't him being denied sex, booze, bacon and all contact w/ friends adn family for half a decade a pretty hefty payment on the premium of the penalty?

 

- these 5 guys they just released - would you want to be anywhere near them w/ drones constantly circling overhead and god knows what kind of tracking device lodged in their sphincter?

[ivan]

speaking of the 5 for 1 deal - if you asked most red-blooded 'mericans what one american was worth, wouldn't they say a lot more than 5 dudes named mohammed?

[glassgowkiss]

I love how McSame is spouting off about this exchange. Makes me wonder whom was HE exchanged for to secure his release. According to some first hand accounts he was an extremely reckless pilot, so his capture by N.Vietnam can be blamed on him. So by his logic, he should have been kept in POW camp much longer, since it was his own fault to be captured in the first place.

[Pete_H]

But did you see his dad's beard! OMG!

 

He's obviously a Taliban sympathizer.

[glassgowkiss]

But did you see his dad's beard! OMG!

 

He's obviously a Taliban sympathizer.

Well, anyone from the Duck Dynasty would be considered Taliban sympathizer as well.

[rob]

I love how McSame is spouting off about this exchange. Makes me wonder whom was HE exchanged for to secure his release. According to some first hand accounts he was an extremely reckless pilot, so his capture by N.Vietnam can be blamed on him. So by his logic, he should have been kept in POW camp much longer, since it was his own fault to be captured in the first place.

 

[glassgowkiss]

But did you see his dad's beard! OMG!

 

He's obviously a Taliban sympathizer.

Of course hoax news is calling his dad taliban sympathizer…..

[ivan]

by this logic, so was the entire confederate army

[Pete_H]

Hmmm. I can see some pretty fundamental similarities.

[ivan]

john brown, HUGE talibanista

[Pete_H]

I would consider him more of a Freedom Fighter.

[Eric T]

I love how McSame is spouting off about this exchange. Makes me wonder whom was HE exchanged for to secure his release. According to some first hand accounts he was an extremely reckless pilot, so his capture by N.Vietnam can be blamed on him. So by his logic, he should have been kept in POW camp much longer, since it was his own fault to be captured in the first place.

 

Nothing could be further from the truth. Let me preface my remarks with I'm ex-Army and don't care much for Navy guys, pilots or politicians. I'm not defending McCain for his work in DC or his political life.

 

When McCain was offered early release because his Dad was an Admiral he said "No".

 

In mid-1968, John S. McCain, Jr. was named commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater, and the North Vietnamese offered McCain early release[44] because they wanted to appear merciful for propaganda purposes,[45] and also to show other POWs that elite prisoners were willing to be treated preferentially.[44] McCain turned down the offer; he would only accept repatriation if every man taken in before him was released as well. Such early release was prohibited by the POW's interpretation of the military Code of Conduct: To prevent the enemy from using prisoners for propaganda, officers were to agree to be released in the order in which they were captured.[34]

 

The notorious camp commander replied "you should have gone McCain because it's going to be really bad for you now".

 

In August 1968, a program of severe torture began on McCain.[46] He was subjected to rope bindings and repeated beatings every two hours, at the same time as he was suffering from dysentery.[34][46] Further injuries led to the beginning of a suicide attempt, stopped by guards.[34] Eventually, McCain made an anti-American propaganda "confession".[34] He has always felt that his statement was dishonorable, but as he later wrote, "I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine."[47][48] Many American POWs were tortured and maltreated in order to extract "confessions" and propaganda statements;[49] virtually all of them eventually yielded something to their captors.[50] McCain subsequently received two to three beatings weekly because of his continued refusal to sign additional statements.[51]

 

So let's show a little respect to Mr. McCain even if his politics are shit and he looks like the crypt keeper.

 

As for this worthless F&$ktard in the stan he's goddamn lucky to be home and he deserves anything and everything coming his way.

 

 

 

[ivan]

As for this worthless F&$ktard in the stan he's goddamn lucky to be home and he deserves anything and everything coming his way.

 

 

i can agree w/ the later part if folks can agree to the former part

[rob]

As for this worthless F&$ktard in the stan he's goddamn lucky to be home and he deserves anything and everything coming his way.

 

 

 

Yeah, he's been tried in the media and that's good enough for me!!!!

Edited June 6, 2014 by rob

[ivan]

shit, least when you get tried in the media you get a verdict - seems like all them fellers in gitmo getting the military trial have been on a hold for a good while longer

[ivan]

maybe it's the english nerd in me - anybody see the relevance of "the red badge of courage" story here?

[ivan]

aren't POW trades as old as war itself?

 

they certainly were in the civil war, for example, and their suspension after confederate atrocities at ft pillow led to the first great american concentration camp at andersonville. i don't recall either sides in that war trying to establish a relative value for each other's captives, and certianly more than a few exchanged on both sides were cowards that got skert or would-be-heroes who simply lost faith in The Cause.

[G-spotter]

http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/06/03/3444517/that-time-republicans-demanded-obama-admin-redouble-its-efforts-to-free-bergdahl/

[tvashtarkatena]

Well, my already low opinion of the US Army actually just fell even further. Leave a comrade to rot with the enemy?

 

Say what you want about the Navy, but, in my experience, it would be awfully hard to find a Marine (included) who would agree with that sentiment.

 

But hey, in the end, this is just another bullshit innernut meme. Yet another opportunity for a bunch of tools to line up and prove what morons they are concerning something they know nothing about in public.

 

Ride the wave.

[Eric T]

Well, my already low opinion of the US Army actually just fell even further. Leave a comrade to rot with the enemy?

 

Say what you want about the Navy, but, in my experience, it would be awfully hard to find a Marine (included) who would agree with that sentiment.

 

But hey, in the end, this is just another bullshit innernut meme. Yet another opportunity for a bunch of tools to line up and prove what morons they are concerning something they know nothing about in public.

 

Ride the wave.

 

That's an awfully informed opinion for a guy who's never spent a day in uniform for his country Pat.

[Pete_H]

I do believe Pat is a Naval Academy grad, correct?

[tvashtarkatena]

Ah, don' worry 'bout it, either oneuh youz. We all know from things on the innernutz, eh?

 

We all must own our own shitty assed opinions. Affiliations or lack thereof beyond that are meaningless, imagined, assumed, or otherwise.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2014 by tvashtarkatena

[ivan]

i wore a uniform once. we all did. it was the hay-day of that ronald reagan fuck, the drums of war beat strong and loud. we were deep in communist east berlin in the middle of winter, the snow flakes falling fat and huge, like frozen hamburgers from the sky. our mission lasted all day, over hill and dale we wandered. one of our number was a dim-witted dipshit and fell behind near the brandenburg gate as the sun careened crazily out of the sky. we did not note his absence, war-weary as we all were. as we crossed the verge through the wire back into the land of freedom lovers, desperate with need for descent into sleep, we finally detected the fact of our missing member.

 

jesus that stupid fuck we all thought as one, but there wasn't a bit of hesitation in stealing back to save his dumb ass. despite his rather obvious flaws, it was not his fate to die alone in enemy hands.

 

we were after all, proud boy scouts of troop 200, and we'd never left a man behind

[Eric T]

 

Pat, a Navel Officer? Tell me another...

[denalidave]

I do believe Pat is a Naval Academy grad, correct?

Just to pick up some of those cute Sthailors...