The Opinionated Bitch – The Swiftboating of An American Prisoner of War

Please, no flack about the word 'bitch'; they use it, and this article is spot-on, imo.


http://herewomentalk.com/the-opinionated-bitch-the-swiftboating-of-an-american-prisoner-of-war

The Opinionated Bitch – The Swiftboating of An American Prisoner of War
06/03/14
Carol Baker


In 2004, Secretary of State John Kerry was a candidate for President of the United States. A group calling themselves Swift Vets and POWs for Truth waged a now discredited vicious campaign against then candidate Kerry to attack his military and service record in Viet Nam. The group claimed John Kerry inflated his role in the military and was a traitor to his country for his anti-war activities upon returning home. These were particularly personal attacks upon his character and after Kerry lost the presidency, it turns out none of those things for which he was accused were true. In spite of the fact that the group has been resoundingly discredited for their outright lies, the falsehoods they told remain deep in the psyche of the rabid Right Wingnuts as ‘fact’. To wit; the term ‘swiftboating’ has come to mean an untrue or unfair political attack or smear campaign.

And that’s precisely what’s happening to Bowe Bergdahl, the last American POW to be rescued from Afghanistan after 5 long years in captivity – the Swiftboating of Bowe Bergdahl has begun in earnest.

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The scorching hypocrisy of the Right Wing pundits can be felt across the globe. We don’t have to like these facts, but rewriting history because of the hatred toward President Obama doesn’t fly. The Right will continue to be in full Hair On Fire Mode for matters of convenience, never based on fact and you can bet responsibility for the next American taken anywhere in the world will be blamed on President Obama, despite the fact our country has a long history of negotiating with terrorists. And let’s not forget the Geneva Convention. Section 11, Article 118 states all prisoners must be released and repatriated at the cessation of war. Given that the war will be officially over in a matter of months, it was merely a matter of a short time before they would have to be released anyway. The war is effectively over, so suck it up, Buttercup.

If we’re going to have a moral debate on whether or not we ever leave a soldier behind, by all means, let’s have it now and let’s have it long and loud. Let’s assure anyone signing the contract to serve our country that if they’re taken prisoner, according to Fox News, you should be tried in the court of public opinion first and if you’re not deemed worthy of saving, prepare to spend the last day of your life in the hands of your captors as a prisoner of war. Let’s see how many people are willing to sign on the dotted line given that little salvo the next time this country is lied to about weapons of mass destruction being in a country that had nothing whatsoever to do with the 9/11 attacks.

I am in no position to know what happened with this soldier and frankly, neither is anyone else. It’s time for the disgusting speculation on the part of the press to end immediately too. Michael Hastings was a real journalist who did his job. The beltway media and cable news are merely parroting press releases delivered from the GOP public relations firm.

This is America. We do not under any circumstances leave a soldier behind on the battlefield. If Bowe Bergdahl did something wrong, it’s up to a military tribunal to determine the facts and adjudicate the case. Not me. Not you. Certainly not Fox News.

We’re Americans. It’s time to start acting like it.