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babylonsister

(170,963 posts)
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 09:33 AM Jun 2014

Bergdahl Not Alone in Disillusionment

https://www.freespeech.org/video/bergdahl-not-alone-disillusionment

Democracy Now
Video at link~


Bergdahl Not Alone in Disillusionment


"We have to understand what {Bergdahl) was going through," says Charles Glass, a historian and former ABC News chief Middle East correspondent.. "The young person at the front line, having believed in his country's mission in Afghanistan and discovering it was not at all what he was told it was, and saw himself as part of the mechanism of oppression, of killing people, of going into villages, and when trying to take out enemy combatants was killing families. I hope that we'll understand what he went through and have compassion for him and his family."
30 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Bergdahl Not Alone in Disillusionment (Original Post) babylonsister Jun 2014 OP
Somewhere There's A Hint Of A Catch 22 In This......nt global1 Jun 2014 #1
just a "hint"? ashling Jun 2014 #24
It appears that way, doesn't it? The rush to condemn him is repugnant. n/t Jefferson23 Jun 2014 #2
Democracy Now! has been doing some excellent shows on this deutsey Jun 2014 #3
yeah... Rod Beauvex Jun 2014 #20
... Voice for Peace Jun 2014 #22
Thats why I keep DirecTV. Fuddnik Jun 2014 #26
Dish is cheaper & not owned by Murdoch... bobalew Jun 2014 #27
Thank you!! nt kelliekat44 Jun 2014 #29
K&R nt riderinthestorm Jun 2014 #4
His fellow soldier (who's deadset against him) has a facebook page SoCalDem Jun 2014 #5
What a prick. geardaddy Jun 2014 #23
A lot of Americans smallcat88 Jun 2014 #6
There wasn't 'unity' after 9-11. The press said there was unity. That was all. nt valerief Jun 2014 #8
There was a degree of unity about getting Bin Laden. Not so much about invading Iraq. nt Fla Dem Jun 2014 #11
Correct! Shemp Howard Jun 2014 #16
Thank you smallcat88 Jun 2014 #18
Service Scarsdale Jun 2014 #10
I think it is SO hypocritical of them to attack Bergdahl's father. hamsterjill Jun 2014 #25
What's amazing is how the MIC makes military actions look good. Once these soldiers realize valerief Jun 2014 #7
Yup! Victor_c3 Jun 2014 #12
So sorry you had to go through that. Sometimes, I refer to our government as valerief Jun 2014 #28
I've hinted at similar things in previous posts and in discussions with people in real life Victor_c3 Jun 2014 #9
Service Scarsdale Jun 2014 #14
As were our young men raised on a TV diet of westerns Half-Century Man Jun 2014 #13
The entire show, SamKnause Jun 2014 #15
the ABC correspondent missed a point here Shemp Howard Jun 2014 #17
A point that is being missed . . FairWinds Jun 2014 #19
it would be a much-needed thread noiretextatique Jun 2014 #30
You can say that again. trumad Jun 2014 #21

Rod Beauvex

(564 posts)
20. yeah...
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:45 AM
Jun 2014

That's why it keeps getting kicked off NPR stations.

Can't be letting the plebes hear anything other than the official narrative.

I was very upset when WETS got rid of DN.

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
5. His fellow soldier (who's deadset against him) has a facebook page
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 10:26 AM
Jun 2014

and prior to his exiting the military, HE said some pretty disparaging stuff about the military

https://www.facebook.com/joshua.cornelison

geardaddy

(24,924 posts)
23. What a prick.
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 12:04 PM
Jun 2014

Look at his this comment on that page:

Karen Garringer - Boy! Mr Josh, it was just yesterday that you were in my Sunday school class and now you are on Fox News! Proud of you Josh! Keep up the great work!! And always be safe!!! Praying for you and everyone else who has served and are serving! You are AWESOME!!! Love ya

smallcat88

(426 posts)
6. A lot of Americans
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 10:44 AM
Jun 2014

share his disillusionment. Most Americans have never been over there. Remember the unity this country felt after 9/11? The Bush administration played on that in order to sell us their lies. I'm surprised there aren't a lot more Bergdahls. Most of the country became disillusioned after the lies of WMD's were exposed. Can't imagine what it must be like to be there firsthand and see just how full of shit the whole 'liberation' thing is.

From everything I've heard about him, Bergdahl sounds like a kid going through that 'find myself' stage. He's at the right age. It's a stage that the right wing crazies skipped altogether. In the end, he stands a far better chance of eventually becoming a whole person than the nut jobs on the right. He just needs a chance to heal and as much support as we can give him.

Shemp Howard

(889 posts)
16. Correct!
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:23 AM
Jun 2014

There was enormous (roughly 90%) unity about getting Bin Laden. And not just in the United States. That was true in much of the rest of the world as well.

And Bush II squandered all of it...in the worst possible way.

Scarsdale

(9,426 posts)
10. Service
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:12 AM
Jun 2014

How many of the political pundits served? Cheney had 5 deferrments, William Kristol did not serve, Rove, Piebus and many others including W did not serve. W wore the uniform, but was strangely absent for most of his tour of duty. The people saying Bergdahl's father looks like the Taliban, should take another look at the religious nut Duck Dynasty fatherIf these people think they have all the answers, then why don't they run for office? The group of misfits the gop runs are laughable, but will show up again this time. Perry, Cain, Santorum, Gingrich, Huckerbee, Jeb (supposedly the smart one, but how smart would one have to be in THAT family to be the smart one?) Maybe Mr. 9/11 himself will run again, his ugly mug does not show up on TV often enough to please him. The statesman-like little Johnny McCain might try again, but with a SANE VP candidate this time?The gop has NOBODY who can command respect, or admiration.

hamsterjill

(15,214 posts)
25. I think it is SO hypocritical of them to attack Bergdahl's father.
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 12:13 PM
Jun 2014

All that father was doing was EVERYTHING that he could to get through the last five years and hope to have his son safe again.

There is not one damn Repuke who, if given the same circumstances, would not hail that as honor - IF the person doing it were a Republican.

God, country and family, you know - unless it's not one of "them".

valerief

(53,235 posts)
7. What's amazing is how the MIC makes military actions look good. Once these soldiers realize
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 10:53 AM
Jun 2014

they've been conned, it's like Captain Obvious has shown up and told them they're not part of the solution but part of the problem. Imagine the anger they must feel.

Victor_c3

(3,557 posts)
12. Yup!
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:15 AM
Jun 2014

I've said it before, but a lot of the issues I have as a result of the war probably wouldn't be there if I could say to myself "I did some terrible things, but at least the world is a better place as a result". Instead I get to say to myself "I did some pretty shitty things in the war and it was all for nothing".

The word "angry" is an understatement. I do realize I wasn't drafted like the Vietnam era guys, but that doesn't alleviate any of the feelings. If anything, that makes me feel worse. What kind of person knowingly joins the Army to so they can go to another country to kill people in a war based on vengeance? I was flat out duped by my upbringing and our society into thinking that we had learned our lessons from our previous engagements into thinking that something like the war on Iraq would never happen again.

I joined the Army in 1997 after seeing events in the Balkans unfold. I would have been proud to be a part of a mission like that. Instead of stopping a bloody war, I found myself perpetrating one.

valerief

(53,235 posts)
28. So sorry you had to go through that. Sometimes, I refer to our government as
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 01:50 PM
Jun 2014

The Lying Machine, because that's what it is.

Victor_c3

(3,557 posts)
9. I've hinted at similar things in previous posts and in discussions with people in real life
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:10 AM
Jun 2014

I never believed in the war on Iraq, yet I found myself leading a platoon in combat in Iraq in 2004. I talked and confided with my family my feelings about the war and I even told my Company Commander near the end of my deployment that I didn't believe in the war either. My boss was absolutely shocked that I wasn't a believer as I received a stellar OER (officer evaluation report) and did a phenomenal job out in our sector.

I busted my ass in that war not so much to further the American cause, but because it was the right thing to do for the guys serving to my right and left. Doing a good job and giving a mission that I never believed in 110% was the best way I could figure out how to ensure that as many of my guys as possible could/would make it home.

I would guess that in my unit in 2004 that only about 1/3 of the guys were probably "believers". The rest of us were pissed off for being in Iraq.

Scarsdale

(9,426 posts)
14. Service
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:19 AM
Jun 2014

Thank you for your service, and the good you did for your fellow servicepeople. I never agreed with the war, anyone could see it was a farce from the start. Remember Cheney "They will greet us (us meaning young servicepeople) with flowers" "The oil will pay for the war" Not after he divided up the oil fields with his energy co-horts. That war was "in the works" before 9/11. How many of those war hawks enriched themselves, while young people came home in body bags? The body bags were not to be seen, even Barbara Bush said "Who cares how many body bags there are" Her family enriched themselves. The people were sold a bill of goods. Anyone who STILL believes this was a worthy cause, well, get your head out of wherever you have it crammed.

Half-Century Man

(5,279 posts)
13. As were our young men raised on a TV diet of westerns
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:15 AM
Jun 2014

which always played according to the rules of fair play, condemned to run ambushes in the deep green of Viet Nam. How do you acquaint a Claymore mine with "Good guys face their enemies fairly in the street" message drummed into them for their entire childhood?



SamKnause

(13,043 posts)
15. The entire show,
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:20 AM
Jun 2014

'Democracy Now", was EXCELLENT today !

The last segment on cutting carbon emissions was exceptionally interesting.

3 states are exempt (unfortunately I live in one, Ohio) They do not have to reduce their emissions, they can raise the carbon output.

The 30% reduction equation starts with the year 2005, when U.S. carbon emissions were higher.

The U.S. has already lowered it's emissions considerably.

This causes a much lower percentage in actual reduction.

http://www.democracynow.org/


Shemp Howard

(889 posts)
17. the ABC correspondent missed a point here
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:32 AM
Jun 2014

All of what Charles Glass said is most probably true. But one more thing needs to be examined. Perhaps Bergdahl realized just how the war was going to end...a lost cause...another Vietnam in the making.

All that killing and all that destruction, for nothing.

Does that excuse Bergdahl IF he deserted? I don't know. But it might play a role here.

 

FairWinds

(1,717 posts)
19. A point that is being missed . .
Thu Jun 5, 2014, 11:43 AM
Jun 2014

is that Bergdahl was correct in his assessment of the average U.S. soldier/sailor/airman.
They have zero respect for the people living in the countries occupied and/or invaded by the U.S..
I saw the same thing in Vietnam - Rampant racism directed against the people we were
supposedly helping. Our South Vietnamese allies were referred to as "slopes", "slants", "gooks", or
"zips" (zero intelligence personnel) - almost never with any sort of respect,
That is a main reason why I joined Veterans For Peace.
This deserves much more discussion - perhaps its own thread.

noiretextatique

(27,275 posts)
30. it would be a much-needed thread
Fri Jun 6, 2014, 03:30 AM
Jun 2014

I hope you create one. It would be great to hear from you and other vets re: demonizing the other.

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