Bowe Bergdahl

This is a bit of a lesser known situation, so I will poorly describe it real quick.

Army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl became disillusioned with the US Army, the US itself, and the war effort. Reports are conflicting, but it seems pretty likely that he deserted his post and walked off into Afghanistan. He was soon picked up by the Taliban and possibly held captive by them for a number of years. I say possibly because there is some speculation that he was there willingly. The US negotiated for his release several times, and finally brokered a deal to trade him for 5 Taliban soldiers held in Guantanamo Bay.

There is several reasons this deal caused controversy. First, was the fact that Bergdahl wasn't captured. He deserted his post. Then, there is some suspicion that he aided the Taliban with information while they attacked US military. Many people are blaming him for military men and women killed while searching for Bergdahl, and for lives lost while he was captured due to the information he gave the Taliban. Also, people were mad about us giving up possibly dangerous Taliban soldiers for a deserter.

I can certainly see why there are some pissed off people about this. Losing good solders for a deserter is a hard price to pay. There is also the potential loses. Will those 5 Taliban solders we released enable more military deaths? Did the information Bergdahl give them during his imprisonment(?) cause other deaths? Now that the Taliban is emboldened by getting their way in this deal, will they try and capture more military to get these sweetheart deals?

I totally understand the reasoning behind the "fuck that guy" crowd. It's actually difficult for me to disagree with them. But, stepping back and seeing what we are really asking for here changes things for me. Do I want the Obama administration, Congress, or any of the rest of those clowns to be the judge and jury for a military man? If I was captured out in Afghanistan, do I want to sit and wonder if the US is going to come for me? I did get in trouble with those Army girls. Is that gonna take me off the "servicemen we will put in an effort to save" list? Where is that line drawn, and do I trust the people in charge of drawing it?

So no, I do not want to give Obama the power to effectively execute a serviceman. The Taliban should not even be given the honor of executing our traitors. I totally support bringing Bergdahl home. Our government should not be allowed to make that call for my brothers and sisters out there. The only thing they should be allowed to do is use all of our country's resources to bring them home. Sure, we may just end up hanging them for treason when they get back. But that is our business, and up to a jury of his peers to decide. Not Obama, not Congress, and not the Taliban.