Unconscionable Act of Treachery Committed by our President
In July 1973, John Paul Getty III was kidnapped in Rome; ransom of $17 million was demanded for John Paul’s safe return. John Paul was a grandson of Jean Paul Getty III who, at that time, was the richest man in the world. Mr. Getty Sr. refused to pay the ransom, stating that were he to pay, then his 14 other grandchildren could also be kidnapped and ransom demanded. I remember being horrified that a grandfather would react in this way– especially a grandfather who is the richest man in the world. My Daddy sat down with me that afternoon and explained that this was not about money or grandsons– it was about good vs evil and that we must never negotiate with evil, no matter what. That was a well-spent afternoon.
Now here we are in 2014. President Obama has released from Guantanamo five Taliban “Generals” in exchange for the freedom of Bowe Bergdahl who has been held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. This is wrong on so many levels, it is difficult to know where to begin.
It is not uncommon for nations to exchange/return prisoners-of-war with each other. The problem here is that nobody in this exchange is, by definition, a prisoner-of-war. ‘Terrorist’ is not synonymous with prisoner-of-war and the 5 Taliban leaders released from Guantanamo are terrorist criminals of the worst sort. They will certainly pick up from where they left off– killing Americans there and perhaps even here. What is to stop them? Certainly not our President.
Bowe Bergdahl is not a prisoner-of-war either. It is bad enough that he is a deserter, but even more appalling is that Bergdahl is an alleged defector. Soldiers serving with him have given first-hand reports that Bergdahl made a ‘premeditated’ decision to desert his post and meet with the enemy. There are also reports of Bergdahl shooting target practice with the Taliban. And let’s have no talk of Stockholm Syndrome because remember– Bergdahl allegedly made two intentional decisions: He deserted his post and met with the enemy.
We know that six brave men were killed searching for Bergdahl-the-defector: Second Lieutenant Darryn Andrews, Staff Sergeant Clayton Bowen, PFC Morris Walker, Staff Sergeant Kurt Curtiss, Staff Sergeant Michael Murphrey, PFC Matthew M. Martinek. These were the finest of the fine; brave young men with parents, wives, and young children. Their families were told that they were killed “fighting the Taliban”, but after the release of Bergdahl, soldiers previously sworn to secrecy came forward and told the families the truth: That these men were killed while in search of Bergdahl-the-defector.
On September 6, 2012, only five days before the Benghazi terrorist attack, President Obama said that “we leave no one behind; we pull each other up”. He didn’t mind leaving Ty Woods, Glen Dougherty, Ambassador Stevens, and Sean Smith to die, and he shows no concern for securing the release Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi who is being wrongfully held in Mexico.
How many more will lose their lives because of this unconscionable and indescribable act of treachery? In addition to the six valorous men mentioned above, how many were killed apprehending the 5 Taliban leaders who our President just released? And how many will be killed by these Taliban leaders now that they are free?
The final question: When will Congress stand up and exert the Constitutional power and remedies to stop our President from committing these unconscionable and indescribable acts of treachery?
