Verdance

This is a view of what a rainy Summer causes our
approach to look like.  The flamboyan trees have
finished their first bloom, and are starting a rare
second bloom.  In front, and to the left, one can see
the famous esperanza with the yellow blossoms,
which bloom almost years round.
(Please forgive the wrong date.  El Gringo
Viejo cannot figure out how to change the
dating on his camera.  Can't even see the
stupid little buttons or the words that
come up after a person pushes the
derned things.  The picture was
taken about four days age.)

The political / cultural full court press

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     We are trying to put the train back on the tracks after being out for a month or so.   One of those actions required is to check on family matters, do some bookwork, get a bit of rest, and review mail, contributors, columns of interest, and of course, feed the cats.

 

     This submission is a fairly simple one.  It is profound for its simplicity, not for its burning intelligence or perception.  While reading my secular vicar's blog about Anglican, Episcopal, and Orthodox matters he paints out the extent of rigor mortis / decomposition that is the Protestant Episcopal Church of America.  The Presiding Bishopess of the Church is a dedicated modernist, at best an agnostic, and certainly a secular humanist progressive.  She and her allies are dedicated to making the Church more relevant and capable of relating to the "new paradigm" of cultural reality in the post-Christian world.  She and her cohort, who now control the previously Orthodox bastion, are the kind of enlightened people who recognise that myths and phony history made up by mystics have no place in the Real World.  In other words, Merry Solstice to All.

     In the Anglican Curmudgeon's last two very, very thorough analyses of the activities of the modernists, he spins a couple of lines that may become truly profound in the coming days.   Why?  Because they "tie it all together" in an understandable way.  The succinctness of the literary stroke belies the fact that the lines are within two very lengthy, intricate legal arguments that totally dismantle the moral and legal authority of the present governance of the Episcopal Church of America.

    One main point that invalidates their regime is the illegal abandonment of established Canonical Law.  Another main point is corruption, in that the Presiding Bishopess's "Chancellor" (chief legal officer) for the Episcopal Church of America employs his own legal firm, and charges handsomely for its service to the "relevant Church" in the continuous and on-going war against the traditionalist Diocese and Parishes.   Mr. Haley, my Chancellor, writes the following,

       "More than anyone else in the history of ECUSA, Katharine Jefferts Schori has infused the Church with a lawlessness -- a pervading disrespect for the duly enacted laws by which we Episcopalians all agreed to be governed -- that is matched only by the current Obama administration (and that is no small achievement on the part of 815). The more lawless she becomes, the greater the obligation upon her to repent."

     Lawlessness and Intent.  No anchors, no tradition save a dedication to defile and destroy anything that should be left constant with barrages of demagoguery of the worst order.  It ties the Universities (especially Roman Catholic and many other previously religiously based institutions), the Obsolete Press, the Progressive movement, and the previous standard for religious centrism and acceptance, the Episcopal Church into the morass of culture with man-made rules and standards that can change from one minute to the next.  It all requires that the rule of law be cancelled and that the rudders be removed from every craft afloat.
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    While we would recommend linking on to the last two (and any others) submissions of Alex Haley in his running commentary concerning Law and Religion and the American Condition, the OROG will need patience.   This is not because the writing is bad, or even hard to understand, but rather because his work is methodical even when passionate.  So, therefore his writing, unlike mine, is meticulous and orderly.  It builds steadily to unarguable conclusions.   It usually takes me three readings for the progression of reasoning, and almost forensic case-building, to sink into El Gringo Viejo's "little grey cells".    Worth the read, but this time it will be at least 20 minutes...perhaps 22.  
El Gringo Viejo  

Observation and Comment Concerning the Border Invasion

     The issue about the invasion by illegal aliens onto Texas soil is confused with many sub-plots, philosophical observations, general confusion, and purposeful misunderstanding.   It seems that every person has a slightly different belief or feeling about what should be done and why, about the hordes of mainly parasitic people coming across at this time.

    My prejudices and experiences,  my understandings and knowledge of the issues lead me to certain positions that I feel to be totally accurate and supported by reason and fact.   My experiences are anchored into considerable reading and study of Mexico and Latin America, including a degree in Sociology with an general studies emphasis on historical, social, anthropological, archaeological, geographical, political, industrial, commercial, and religious matters pertaining to especially Mexico.

     My family has been active in and around Mexico since the 1880s, with my great-grandfather having been an active rancher in central Vera Cruz State, with a tropical, mountain Bali Hi - type tropical fruit and coffee operation in the mid-piedmont parts of the Sierra Madre Oriental.   His operation was approximately 600 hectareas, or about 1,400 acres.   He prospered there until that area was hit by three hard freezes in four years, complete with snow, sleet, and brutally freezing temperatures.

     My father and mother conducted complicated and diversified agricultural activities ranging from a large citrus grove care operation, as well as cotton and vegetable farming in and around McAllen, Texas for thirty years.  My father served in the mounted,  1st Cavalry Division, 12th Regiment, Headquarters Squadron at various places in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, and the Big Bend area of Texas.

     My wife and I owned and operated a very classy excursion service, for over 20 years, carrying several thousand people on deluxe tours throughout Mexico.  I have worked with some success as a "hired gun" business representative and negotiator and advisor representing businesses wishing to buy or sell in Mexico.   We have a small, but very pleasant little place in Mexico that we use as a permanent residence, retirement place, Bed and Brunch place, wildlife and birdwatching paradise, and a place to feed three dogs and three cats upon their demand.

 

     Many OROGs already know much about these things.   But the new readers probably do not.  Sometimes the new readers do not click onto things like the access to the Quinta Tesoro de la Sierra Madre, or read about El Gringo Viejo's vitae curricula found in the right panel.  My Texian mentality comes from being here for a good while, making my grandchildren 7th generation people by my side, and 15th generation on my wife's side, Texian.   My wife is a slight bit further to the right than her husband.

 

    This summary is included so as to qualify this witness as something a bit more than an opinion factory.   Blowhard, yes....but something a bit more than an opinion factory.

 

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     Yesterday, I drove up about 225 miles from our place up against the mountains in Mexico and crossed back over into Texas and went through my recovery ceremony.  To-day, my wife made certain that I would mow my mother-in-law's yard....in the morning....during my somnambulance.   It did help to clear my thought processes and commitment to this effort now.

 

      There is quite a bit of misunderstanding about what is going on concerning the Central American refugees currently inundating the Lower Rio Grande Valley's Border Patrol district.   Well over 90% of all the Central Americans coming in to the United States cross here.  It is more convenient as they advance to the north, through the Mexican States of Chiapas and Oaxaca, and through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec that connects the Pacific Basin to the Atlantic Basin.   Some ride a somewhat daily freight train (all locomotives in that area are called "Bestias", or beasts).  There are no passenger cars, so one can imagine.   But, listening to Hannity or O'Reilly....or reading almost any Obsolete Press reports, Americans are led to understand that the Central Americans come up riding atop and holding on alongside freight trains, while at the same time being herded up by "coyote - cartel" people who charge 7,000 USD to conduct said Central Americans to some point in the United States.   Such is not the case.  Lamentably, even Rush made reference to the "illegals riding a train up from Guatemala to Texas"...but that is not what happens.

     The soon-to-be illegal aliens ride the train to an area between the large and important cities of Minatitlan - Coatzacoalcos and Vera Cruz on the Mexican Gulf Coast.   But fewer than 20% even do that.   But by that point, 100% make their way to or near the City of Vera Cruz.   They will walk, take busses, or hitch rides.  Measuring their money and girding their loins, they will hope to buy a ticket on the fairly nice, second-class bus service that, with some comfort and efficiency....not much, but some....will be delivered up through Tuxpan, Tampico, San Fernando, and Reynosa.  It is quite a ride.  It is high adventure for a pregnant woman with two children in two seats, and perhaps 200 dollars left in her purse and having no idea what lies ahead.

     It should be noted that almost 80% of the first time "adventure tourists" have never seen such luxury as they are encountering in Mexico.  The highways, the busses, the food and selections, the industry and abundance all will amaze them.  They will also notice that the people become more and more Caucasian as they move to the north, and fewer and fewer have the Indian features to which they are accustomed.  People from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala and the surrounding area...save for very few...will have never seen any such economic activity as they are encountering in Mexico.

     For the repeating illegal aliens, they are already familiar.  But they must think, "If this can be in Mexico, why not in Honduras?"

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    Governor Perry, although he has taken some active measures within his existing authority...and may take more...gave Hannity a good ride, and delivered a lot of information.   Much of the information was accurate, but 900 horsepower gunboats running up and down the Rio Grande has no significant impact on any of the issues affecting the Rio Grande or the illegal Central American alien inundation. The twin - 50s machine runs really aren't the best way to handle the issue.   People just wait until the gunboats flash past at 60 knots and then continue about their business.

 

     It is true however that the Texas Department of Public Safety has had some positive effect in backing up local authority in the pursuit and detention of criminal and other types of illegal aliens who use the Lower Rio Grande Valley as a trampoline.  There have been special helicopter and fixed-wing assets, along with increased Texas Ranger presence and special operations units of the Texas DPS.

 

     Where Governor Perry is incorrect, terribly incorrect, is in the notion that this inundation could be turned around with the deployment of 1,000 National Guard to work "in co-ordination" with Immigration and Customs and with the Border Patrol.   A mix of highly trained National Guard and Regular Army infantry units numbering perhaps 50,000 would be a minimum to have any impact on the 1,000 miles of the Rio Grande as it pertains to Texas.   There are simply too many miles with sparse-to-no population.   And there are urban complexities that make the presence of 1,000 NGs pretty much a useless deployment.

    With reference to Obama's contention that the border has never been so secure and that there has never been any time that had more "boot on the ground" protecting the frontier is ludicrous.  In the period of the disorders associated with the Mexican Revolution of 1910 - 1917, Hidalgo County of Texas (McAllen area) alone had over 100,000  Regular Army and National Guard mounted and infantry.   Such a silly, ignorant, arrogant, lying jackass.   Please disregard anything he says, because his motives are simply to destroy the country by large and small efforts.

 

     Much is said about the cartels.  Cartel, cartel, cartel...the invincible, all powerful cartels.   Evil and vile, yes.  All powerful, no.  And now for some real news, the OROGs should know that one of the reasons the people from Central America are coming through Tamaulipas and to McAllen is because of the general pacification, especially of the excesses of the cartel activity in the State.  Earlier this year, when the Mexican central government deployed several additional regiments of highly trained Mexican Army and Naval Infantry into the State (essentially bringing Tamaulipas into a martial law situation) there were numerous sweeps and in-force investigations.  Cartel activity and even the extortion rackets and drug and alien smuggling has been severely crippled.  Leaders of ever smaller cells of what are essentially gangs are less and less competent and present fewer and fewer menaces to people.   That is why the Central American illegal aliens were coming across the Rio Grande with their children and searching out Border Patrol vans and patrol units and officers on patrol, so as to allow themselves to be arrested and detained.  Most were coming across without the aid of any coyote....and I mean the huge majority.

     The problem there is that MS-13 animals are mixed in with these people.  Usually, the MS-13 member is a "re-entry" just going back to his base gang in Houston or Chicago or some appropriate place.   But they are trying to avoid contact with the Mexican military and the new Federal Civil Police, because that will mean certain incarceration in Mexico now, just for having the MS-13 tattoos.

    The Army liberated 160 or so people just a couple of days ago from a house in Reynosa, across from McAllen, acting on community provided information.  That was interesting because it was the first time in a couple of months that such a thing had happened, and people commented about how good it was that it was becoming rare.....finally.

     The Mexican military is also becoming more active, on its own, in the apprehension and deportation (under the auspices  of the Secretaria de Gobernacion) of increasing numbers of illegal entrants.  More on that later. 

 

Perhaps to-morrow we shall continue with this matter.    Suffice to say that there is no need for "immigration reform", especially when, like "hope and change" such un-defined terms are meaningless....phoney fodder for focus groups.   Until the frontier is reasonably and solidly sealed, permitting only legal interaction, tourism, and business there should be only enforcement, deportation, and penal detention for repeat illegal entrants and illegal entrant criminals.

El Gringo Viejo

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Please Stay Away, Barry



This is a scene from our corridor looking
towards the Rio Corona, showing the tier
effect of our plantings.   

     The stay down at our adobe hideaway was pleasant enough, but it was a bit exasperating to listen to my side's pundits and commentators at times.  It is simply disappointing to think that there is still  anyone who can say something like, "Why can't Obama see that his measures are hurting America?".    Or,  Saints preserve us, "Obama needs to go to the Rio Grande Valley and see this crisis with The Children."

     Once again, Conservatives in all 57 States, and every member of the Marine Corpse must remember that every single move made by Obama and his minions has been made deliberately.   Every single move, programme, and measure has been made specifically and purposely to diminish, disable, and degrade the grandeur and prosperity of the American Republic.   It is called Fundamental Transformation.

     We have seen the disabling of the Department of Justice.   All successes by the military in two relatively small but costly wars have been squandered by purposeful sabotage of the stand-down procedure.  Major private industrial projects are snidely shelved for "environmental reasons" related to a non-existent climate emergency.
     One of the reasons the Mexican President Pen~a Nieto has been slow to intervene in the case of the Marine being detained in Tecate, Baja California is because Obama has never addressed the culpability of the ATF and E in the matter of the Fast and Furious disaster.  Eric Holder snidely assured the Congress that he was working on finding answers about the programme, when, in fact, nothing has been done.  Hillary would not address the issue, nor has Secretary John Kerry Munster.

We have a nice crop of avocados coming
off, probably in late August.

    Mexican potentates have their flaws and foibles....usually including arrogance....and they are particularly grumpy when the American presidency indirectly manages to get a couple of thousand Mexican innocents killed  and wounded by automatic weapons being fed into the country.   Of course American sensibilities are offended by many Mexican excesses and offences, too numerous to mention.   But resolution of issues will never be on any agenda drawn up by Obama.   It is a wonder relations are as good as they are, and the cause might be the good fortune of benign neglect.
     Pointless overhaul of the medical industry was, is, and will continue to be a disaster for the economy and the culture.  The Obama Socialised Medicine Initiative will be the crowning Pamper in the Parking Lot of his administration.   Thoroughly corrupt and corrupting.   It really must be overturned, rescinded, and repealed.

Alvaro finishes the repair of the main central
support beam.  We installed a steel pipe as a
"tip" piece on both ends.  The old extension
had been damaged by exposure to weather
but the beams on the inside are in perfect
order.

     The ridiculous becomes sublime when an Army deserter can be raised  to the level of honourable victim....even giving him rank when, at best he was AWOL and at worst was an enemy combatant, a deserter, and a traitor.   And to imagine trading five leading elements in the panoply of  Islamic extremists for a deserter.    At each turn in the ever-changing explanations about the conditions, Obama lied and his lackeys lied. 

     The Benghazi affair continues to putrefy and the stench has spilled into the collapse of the Syria - Iraq - Middle Eastern disintegration.   It could not have been co-ordinated better by the White House to demoralise and denigrate the American military and America's cultural and commercial interests.   I assure the readers that the general sentiment of the military personnel who served through the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars is very broadly negative.  The reaction of the West Point graduates to Obama's absurd graduation address represents a good measure of how the rest of the military feels about Our Favourite Manchurian.

     This entire "sudden crisis" of illegal aliens pouring into the country is something that was not at all sudden.  It has been building from Central America, especially over the past three years.  Anchor-babying, the ill, the retarded,  the criminal,  and the indolence that is coming upon us has been all but recruited by carefully executed, illegal changes to the detention orders and procedures put into place by Obama and his ogres. 
     One could listen to Guatemalan radio coming out of Guatemala City, wherein talk programmes would openly discuss how to make it into the United States and "evaporate" by not reporting for a deportation hearing before an administrative judge.   "Just don't report for your hearing date.  And do not remain in the city or place where your hearing is."   It is like orientation and training lectures.  Many of these last batches of several thousand came to the Rio Grande on their own, with no "coyotes" as guides and organisers.  They negotiated the Rio Grande on their own, and literally flagged down Border Patrol agents and turned themselves in.
      Because of the sheer numbers, and the abnormally high number of children, the system clogged-up and the Border Patrol had no place to store the people.   The illegals were given permission papers and were allowed to leave under a promise to appear at a later date.   It helped if the person had a family member or friend somewhere in the United States who could forward bus fare, and then the Border Patrol would take the aliens and dependents to the McAllen Bus Terminal.   Churches in the area and the Salvation Army have helped with food, clothing, and in some cases boarding the aliens briefly and providing money, transportation, and baby supplies

     It is a mess, and it was all done purposely.  The 2011 assertion by Obama that "The border is secure.   The border has never been more secure," which is frequently repeated by Homeland Security Obama-lackeys  is just another Obama act of arrogant mendacity.   So, Barry....Please stay away. 

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     In other news,  the drive up was mainly accomplished in a moderate to heavy rain.   It was  also the case that the militarisation of the State of Tamaulipas has been fully implemented.  There were at  least 5,000 Federal Civil Police, Army, and Naval Infantry, by a fairly careful count.   There were five check-points, all in good order and functioning professionally.   Throughout the State there are a couple of score thousand effectives at this time.
El Gringo Viejo

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He's baaaaccckkkkkk

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      We finished our drive through the rain and arrived back in the Magic Lower Rio Grande Valley during the early afternoon hours.  We anticipate drafting some remarks and observations before midnight.   Thanks for staying with us.

 

El Gringo Viejo

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Read This to Stay on Course = Forwarded by El Zorro

 

FEATURED: The Strange Case of Bowe Bergdhal

Posted on 01 Jun 2014 @ 14:16 by Brent P.

Translator

By: Brent Parrish

At first blush it would appear a very wonderful thing has occurred. The only American POW in Afghanistan, Sgt. Bowe Bergdhal, was freed from captivity and released to elements of the U.S. Special Forces yesterday at an unspecified location in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said.

Via the White House, dated May 31, 2014:

Today the American people are pleased that we will be able to welcome home Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, held captive for nearly five years.  On behalf of the American people, I was honored to call his parents to express our joy that they can expect his safe return, mindful of their courage and sacrifice throughout this ordeal.  Today we also remember the many troops held captive and whom remain missing or unaccounted for in America’s past wars.  Sergeant Bergdahl’s recovery is a reminder of America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield.  And as we find relief in Bowe’s recovery, our thoughts and prayers are with those other Americans  whose release we continue to pursue.

Bergdhal has been held captive since 2009 by the Taliban—specifically, the al-Haqqani network.

The release of Bergdhal is not without its share of controversy, though. The Obama  Administration negotiated with terrorists in order to secure Bergdhal’s release. Five extremely dangerous terrorists were released from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Bergdhal. Technically, Qatar acted as the intermediary between U.S. negotiators and the Taliban terrorist representatives.  But, in the end, the U.S. bartered with terrorists.

Steve Hayes of National Review tweeted that one of the “Taliban Five” to be released,  Khairullah Said Wali Khairkhwa, was a key intermediary between the Taliban and Iran following 9/11.

Robert Bergdhal, father of Bowe Bergdhal, posted on Twitter that he was “working to free all Guantanamo prisoners,” but has since deleted the tweet.

The Twitter timeline of Bergdhal’s father is a bit strange, and reflects a very anti-American sentiment. Robert Bergdahl spoke to his son in Pashto, the dialect of the Taliban, upon his release, saying, “In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful.”

What I find especially chilling about Robert Bergdhal’s choice of using this particular phrase from the Koran—in perfect Pashto dialect, mind you—is that it is repeated over and over again in many violent videos of Islamic terrorist factions who have a penchant for filming and recording their crimes against humanity.

Bergdhal’s father reportedly learned the Pashto language in order to communicate with his son’s captors (alternatively spelled Pushto, also known historically as Afghani).

In 2010 the Taliban claimed Bowe Bergdahl had converted to Islam.

The president mentioned that Bowe Bergdhal had missed birthdays and holidays with family and friends. But there was no mention by the president of the birthdays and holidays that would be missed by family and friends of those who died looking for Bergdhal.

Parents of one U.S. officer killed hunting for Sgt. Bergdhal was given the official story their son died hunting for a Taliban commander.

Via Daily Mail:

The furious parents of an officer who they claim was killed while searching for freed Taliban prisoner Bowe Bergdahl today said that they have been lied to as part of a ‘cover up just like Benghazi’.

The mother and father of Second Lieutenant Darryn Andrews are angry that they have been told different stories about how their son died.

First his commanders said that their son was blown up while hunting a Taliban commander – but only now that Bergdahl has been freed after five years in captivity are they learning the truth.

Lt Andrews’ parents told MailOnline that their own son branded Bergdahl a ‘deserter’ before he was killed.

[...]

Lt Andrews was one of six men who died while apparently searching for Bergdahl, who is said to have voluntarily left his post in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.

The mother of Bowe Berdahl, Jani Bergdahl, said something during a press conference that ran on CNN Live in Boise, Idaho, that stood out to me. She said that “Bowe comes from a very strong tribe.“

 

The use of the word “tribe” stood out to me because I have seen this particular word used by the Obama Administration on numerous occasions. For example, the Obama White House  has been sponsoring the Tribal Nations Conference for the past five years.

Via WhiteHouse.gov:

The White House Tribal National Conference – the fifth of the Obama Administration – is an opportunity to connect tribal leaders across the country directly with President Obama and his Administration as we work together toward tribal self-determination and self-governance. In his remarks, the President said, “That’s what we’re called to do – to keep strong the covenant between us – for this and future generations.” 

Which tribe is Jani Bergdahl specifically referring to? Which tribe in Hailey, Idaho, is Bowe from? The “world tribe”? Anyway, I just find the choice of words interesting, especially considering Robert Bergdhal has compared past Native American wars between the U.S. government to the Taliban—tribal warriors.

Credits: Weasel Zippers

The major controversy surrounding Bergdhal are the circumstances of his disappearance from his unit. He was not captured during a chaotic ambush scenario, or an attack on his post, but simply “disappeared.”

Which brings up a very serious potential charge: was Bergdhal a deserter?

And worse yet, is he a traitor?

Did he supply the Taliban with information on how to better fight against coalition forces?

The New York Times provides some interesting details on Bergdhal, my emphasis:

Among the questions military officials are likely to have for Sergeant Bergdahl when he is ready to talk are the circumstances of his capture on June 30, 2009, when he was separated from his unit in Paktika Province. Many in the military say he chose to wander off his base.

But a senior Defense Department official indicated that the Army most likely would not be punishing the sergeant for any violations of rules. “Whatever he may have done, I think he’s more than paid for it,” the official said. “Five years is a long time.”

On one hand, the NY Times’ report seems to provide some corroboration with what others at the base in Paktia had observed of Bergshal’s behavior prior to his disappearance.

On the other hand, it is troubling to read a senior Defense Department official state, that regardless of any violations or gross dereliction of duty that might have been committed by Sgt. Bergdhal, no punishment was likely, considering the length of time he was incarcerated by the Haqqani network (a militant outfit allied with the Taliban with ties to al-Qaeda).

The U.K.’s Telegraph reported that Bergdhal appeared in a video one month later after his  abduction by the Haqqani network and relayed the following:

“I was captured outside of the base camp. I was behind a patrol, lagging behind the patrol and I was captured,” Bergdahl said in the video, later growing distraught when discussing his family.

There are some reports circulating—allegedly from soldiers who served with Bergdhal during his time in Afghanistan—that Sgt. Bowe Bergdhal was exhibiting some rather peculiar behavior prior to his disappearance.

Via Twitter

Another soldier who claims to have served with the 1-501 Parachute Infantry Regiment of 4th Brigade 25th Infantry Division and Bergdhal in Paktia province, Afghanistan, recently posted an account on Twitter (follow: @CodyFNfootball) of Bergdhal’s questionable behavior that corroborates almost point for point with the timeline of events mentioned by “Dan Witmer” (see above).

The entire timeline is posted in two parts at SooperMexican.com. I have also taken screencaps in case the embedded tweets are deleted from the Twitterverse (read more here).

The Twitter timeline of @CodyFNfootball alleges on June 30, 2009, at his base in Paktia Province, roll call was called at 0600 and all reported 100%, except for 3rd Squad … Bergdahl’s squad. He posits that Bergdhal slipped out around 0300-0430 local time. And he believes Bergdhal picked that particular night because it had the lowest moon lumens.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel was asked by a reporter if Bergdhal had deserted his post, but he declined to answer the charge directly at this time:

Hagel also denies the charge they negotiated with terrorists.

Via RCP:

HAGEL: First of all, we didn’t negotiate with terrorists. As I said and explained before, Sergeant Bergdahl is a prisoner of war. That’s a normal process in getting your prisoners back, that’s first. Second, we are dealing with terrorism and hostage taking all the time everywhere. I think America’s record is pretty clear on going after terrorists, especially those who take hostages, and I don’t think what we did in getting our prisoner of war released in any way would somehow encourage terrorists to take our American service men prisoner or hostage.

Well, unless holding talks with the Taliban is something different than negotiations (cooperation, perhaps?), then, yes, they are negotiating with terrorists. The Taliban are terrorists. Period. End of story. Case closed.

According to one AP report from 2012, Bergdhal had sent emails to his parents stating he was “ashamed of being an American” and was considering deserting.

Via CBS News:

(AP) WASHINGTON – Emails an American soldier reportedly sent to his parents before he was captured by the Taliban three years ago suggest he was disillusioned and considering deserting.

Bowe Bergdahl told his parents he was “ashamed to even be American” and was disgusted with the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and with the Army, according to emails quoted in Rolling Stone magazine.

Bergdahl, a 26-year-old Army sergeant from Hailey, Idaho, was taken prisoner on June 30, 2009, in Afghanistan.

The military has never detailed circumstances of his disappearance or capture, and he is not classified as a deserter. He was initially listed as “duty status unknown” and is now considered “missing-captured.” He is the only U.S. prisoner of war from the Afghanistan conflict, and U.S. officials say they are actively trying to free him.

The White House declined comment on the emails or Bergdahl’s possible motivation for leaving his base in eastern Afghanistan in 2009.

As to the deal worked out by the Obama Administration to exchange the five Guantanamo prisoners, two Republican congressman are charging the president violated the law by not notifying Congress of the secret deal to swap the Gitmo detainees for Bergdhal’s release until the exchange was already taking place.

Via Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Republican lawmakers on Saturday accused President Barack Obama of breaking the law by approving the release of five Afghan detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in exchange for a U.S. soldier believed held by Islamist insurgents for five years.

The White House agreed that actions were taken in spite of legal requirements and cited “unique and exigent circumstances” as justification.

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, 28, of Hailey, Idaho, was handed over to U.S. special operations forces by the Taliban. In return, five Afghans who were held at a U.S. detention facility in Cuba were released to the custody of the government of Qatar, which served as a go-between in negotiations for the trade.

Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon of California and Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma said in a statement that Obama is required by law to notify Congress 30 days before any terrorists are transferred from the U.S. facility. They said Obama also is required to explain how the threat posed by such terrorists has been substantially mitigated.

McKeon is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Inhofe is the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
 

     Having had family who served in Paktia Province in Afghanistan, I was well aware of the al-Haqqani network. They are known for their particular brand of ruthlessness, and appear to be better organized and more adept at complex attacks than most Taliban factions. It’s hard for me to imagine any American, especially U.S. military personnel, not being tortured and executed almost immediately by this vicious group of soulless savages—which leaves me scratching my head as to why Bergdhal’s captors kept him alive and in reasonably good health.

     I want to say that I do care deeply about the sacrifice and suffering of our veterans and their families, who sacrifice so much, particularly combat troops and their families, and all the multiple deployments our military has been ordered to undertake …  by an increasingly morally bankrupt civilian leadership (a.k.a. federal government, et al.).

     We haven’t heard the last of this story. There are just too many questions that remain unanswered, both from Bergdhal and the Obama Administration.

      My hope, in regard to Sgt. Bergdhal, is we can clear up any appearance of duplicity, this would include the Obama Administration as well. It would be a real shame if such traitorous acts were in fact true … a real shame, indeed. Particularly considering the unimaginable suffering and sacrifice of all those who have faithfully served in the U.S. Military and fulfilled their oath honorably …  even unto death.

God bless our military.

And God bless America.

UPDATE (June 2, 2014):

The Associated Press is reporting a Pentagon investigation in 2010 concluded Sgt. Bowe Bergdhal abandoned his post:

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon investigation concluded in 2010 that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his unit, and after an initial flurry of searching the military decided not to exert extraordinary efforts to rescue him, according to a former senior defense official who was involved in the matter.

[...]

… Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel declined to comment on earlier reports that the sergeant had walked away from his unit, disillusioned with the war. Such matters “will be dealt with later,” Hagel said.

But the former Pentagon official said it was “incontrovertible” that he walked away from his unit.

The military investigation was broader than a criminal inquiry, this official said, and it didn’t formally accuse Bergdahl of desertion. In interviews, members of his unit portrayed him as a naive, “delusional” person who thought he could help the Afghan people by leaving his army post, the official said.

Furthermore, the inconsistencies of the official story with the 2010 Pentagon investigation, and the testimony of soldiers in his unit, is raising more and more serious and troubling questions, both for Bergdhal and the administration.

Via Charlie Spiering:

“Not only has this nebulous non-story been put out for years but you know these soldiers of 4th Brigade 25th Infantry Division were threatened with legal repercussions if they spoke about Bergdahl. Everybody officially mandated silencing of what we saw has been so frustrating,” Bethea explained on BBC World Service Radio today.

Bethea served in Sgt. Bergdahl’s unit, and was an infantry officer in the U.S. Army from 2007 to 2014

CNN’s Jake Tapper also reported that many of Bergdahl’s fellow troops signed nondisclosure agreements agreeing to never share any information about Bergdahl’s disappearance and the efforts to recapture him.