GATINEAU, Qc - The former top Canadian commander in Kandahar says a military court has no choice but to kick out of the Canadian Forces a soldier found guilty of shooting a wounded and unarmed Afghan insurgent.
A military court is holding a sentencing hearing to determine a penalty for Capt. Robert Semrau.
The court is hearing submissions on what Semrau's fate should be.
Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson says that Semrau's actions were "such a blow" to the credibility of the Canadian Forces that there is "no other option" but to boot him from the military.
One week ago, a court martial panel found Semrau guilty of disgraceful conduct for shooting an Afghan fighter after a heated battled in the Helmand district of Afghanistan in October 2008.
It acquitted him of second-degree murder.
Semrau could serve up to five years in jail or be dismissed from the military.
What a complete and utter moron Brig.-Gen. Denis Thompson is. Yes, Capt Semrau did do something wrong according to the "book". Of course he is no medical doctor that can decide how long a wounded person will live.
But this whole thing should be considered as a small instant of bad judgement and should have been handled in theatre, and administrative Recorded Warning or similiar handed out to Capt Semrau.
And one of our Generals should not be speaking out like this before the sentencing hearing has started. I'm no lawyer, but it may be grounds for appeal if Capt Semrau gets a discharge from the Army.
In general, we seem to have a bunch of clown Generals in our Forces.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Local officials: Abducted U.S. service member killed
CNN -
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- One American service member who was abducted in Afghanistan on Friday has been killed, provincial government officials said Sunday.
Den Mohammad Darwish, the spokesman for the governor of Logar province, said he learned from locals that the service member was killed.
Darwish told CNN the body was found in the Patanak Mountains of Charkh district. He also said the vehicle the men were driving was located Sunday.
The Taliban wanted to take both men alive, but a firefight broke out, killing one of the Americans, Mujahid said. The other is alive and being held in a safe location, he said.
Three U.S. military officials told CNN the two service members are from the Navy. Rashid said the second sailor who was also abducted is wounded and still missing.
There were no immediate demands from the Taliban for the return of the Americans because the group was still deliberating what its demands would be.
Adm. Mike Mullen, in a press conference Sunday, said he could not give out any information. But he did call it an "unusual circumstance" to have two individuals leave the base and drive over an hour away in a non-military vehicle.
CBS News -
Samer Gul, the chief of Logar's Charkh district, said a four-wheel drive armored sports utility vehicle was seen Friday night by a guard working for the district chief's office. The guard tried to flag down the vehicle, carrying a driver and a passenger, but it kept going, Gul said.
"They stopped in the main bazaar of Charkh district. The Taliban saw them in the bazaar," Gul said. "They didn't touch them in the bazaar, but notified other Taliban that a four-wheel vehicle was coming their way."
The second group of Taliban tried to stop the vehicle, but when it didn't, insurgents opened fire and the occupants in the vehicle shot back, he said.
Gul said there is a well-paved road that leads into the Taliban area and suggested the Americans may have mistaken that for the main highway - which is much older and more dilapidated.
The headline would lead you to believe that this sailor was abducted and then killed. You have to read further along to find out he was killed in a fire fight trying not to get abducted. I'm sure the average USA citizen would gather this from the story, but the headline is misleading.
It's interesting to note that the Admiral calls it unusual that two men go so far out side the capital along, but then again maybe he isn't in the know about all the operations that these type of men do.
The bit from CBS indicates that maybe they were on the wrong road. Maybe they were just clerks trying to get home, and got lost. I somehow doubt it, as the SUV would probably be equipped with GPS.
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- One American service member who was abducted in Afghanistan on Friday has been killed, provincial government officials said Sunday.
Den Mohammad Darwish, the spokesman for the governor of Logar province, said he learned from locals that the service member was killed.
Darwish told CNN the body was found in the Patanak Mountains of Charkh district. He also said the vehicle the men were driving was located Sunday.
The Taliban wanted to take both men alive, but a firefight broke out, killing one of the Americans, Mujahid said. The other is alive and being held in a safe location, he said.
Three U.S. military officials told CNN the two service members are from the Navy. Rashid said the second sailor who was also abducted is wounded and still missing.
There were no immediate demands from the Taliban for the return of the Americans because the group was still deliberating what its demands would be.
Adm. Mike Mullen, in a press conference Sunday, said he could not give out any information. But he did call it an "unusual circumstance" to have two individuals leave the base and drive over an hour away in a non-military vehicle.
CBS News -
Samer Gul, the chief of Logar's Charkh district, said a four-wheel drive armored sports utility vehicle was seen Friday night by a guard working for the district chief's office. The guard tried to flag down the vehicle, carrying a driver and a passenger, but it kept going, Gul said.
"They stopped in the main bazaar of Charkh district. The Taliban saw them in the bazaar," Gul said. "They didn't touch them in the bazaar, but notified other Taliban that a four-wheel vehicle was coming their way."
The second group of Taliban tried to stop the vehicle, but when it didn't, insurgents opened fire and the occupants in the vehicle shot back, he said.
Gul said there is a well-paved road that leads into the Taliban area and suggested the Americans may have mistaken that for the main highway - which is much older and more dilapidated.
The headline would lead you to believe that this sailor was abducted and then killed. You have to read further along to find out he was killed in a fire fight trying not to get abducted. I'm sure the average USA citizen would gather this from the story, but the headline is misleading.
It's interesting to note that the Admiral calls it unusual that two men go so far out side the capital along, but then again maybe he isn't in the know about all the operations that these type of men do.
The bit from CBS indicates that maybe they were on the wrong road. Maybe they were just clerks trying to get home, and got lost. I somehow doubt it, as the SUV would probably be equipped with GPS.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Taliban claim capture of 2 Americans
An air and ground search continues for two U.S. navy service members who disappeared in eastern Afghanistan amid unconfirmed reports that one or both were captured by the Taliban.
The two failed to report back after leaving their compound in Kabul on Friday afternoon, NATO officials said. Vehicles and helicopters have been sent to search for the two.
Afghan National Police officials reported seeing two U.S. soldiers driving around in an armoured vehicle in the nearby province of Logar. Police said they tried to wave down the Americans but they drove on and went into a bazaar, CBC's Cameron MacIntosh reported from Afghanistan.
Officials say the two were later ambushed by insurgents as they tried to drive away.
Well this should be an interesting story to follow. Hopefully two US Navy personnel means Navy Seals and not two clerks from the Navy. Now Seals are a tough and rugged bunch, but I still find it hard to believe that they were by themselves about 100kms from their base in Kabul. Inside of Kabul would be ok for that sort of thing.
If the Taliban do have them, it will be interesting to see how they treat them. Specialist Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, was captured by the Taliban in June 2009. He is the only known American in the Taliban's hands and has appeared in videos posted on Taliban websites. So I don't expect the Taliban to just outright kill them, after all they are worth much more as a bargaining chip. I do find it odd that they still have Specialist Bergdahl a year after capture. Probably the US aren't willing to meet their demands.
The two failed to report back after leaving their compound in Kabul on Friday afternoon, NATO officials said. Vehicles and helicopters have been sent to search for the two.
Afghan National Police officials reported seeing two U.S. soldiers driving around in an armoured vehicle in the nearby province of Logar. Police said they tried to wave down the Americans but they drove on and went into a bazaar, CBC's Cameron MacIntosh reported from Afghanistan.
Officials say the two were later ambushed by insurgents as they tried to drive away.
Well this should be an interesting story to follow. Hopefully two US Navy personnel means Navy Seals and not two clerks from the Navy. Now Seals are a tough and rugged bunch, but I still find it hard to believe that they were by themselves about 100kms from their base in Kabul. Inside of Kabul would be ok for that sort of thing.
If the Taliban do have them, it will be interesting to see how they treat them. Specialist Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, was captured by the Taliban in June 2009. He is the only known American in the Taliban's hands and has appeared in videos posted on Taliban websites. So I don't expect the Taliban to just outright kill them, after all they are worth much more as a bargaining chip. I do find it odd that they still have Specialist Bergdahl a year after capture. Probably the US aren't willing to meet their demands.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Bergen-Belsen
I just watched a half hour Britsh documentary about Bergen-Belsen on the military channel. Now I can appreciate war time propaganda, but was surprised by this apparently recent tv show of Belsen. They showed the famous Arbeit Mach Frei sign from Auswitz and said it was at the gate at Bergen-Belsen.
Bergen was a transit camp through which various peoples were shipped to slave labour camps. Of course Jews, but also anyone which the Third Reich considered as a threat.
After D-Day, Allied aircraft had air superiority over Europe. These fighters, and fighter bombers cruised the area searching for targets of opportunity. These included factories, trains, convoys, and even crop working folks.
This certainly had an effect on the war effort of Germany, they could not move during the daytime to resupply their own forces. The Allied planes knocked out bridges and railways every day.
So it was no surprise that the main effort was to support the troops in the field fighting the Allies, and not to the camps and also PW camps. That with the fact that convoys were attacked at will, resulted in the deaths and disease spreading of the Bergen-Belsen camp by the time it was liberated by the British. Typhus was rampant and killing hundreds a day. No supplies made it difficult for the Germans to keep the population healthy before liberation, and afterwards the cruel fact that you can't just feed starving folks a plain diet led to many deaths.
In the documentary they stated that the SS guards were forced to work among the population. While an admirer of the Waffen SS, these SS were truly evil. Little men with sudden power. These SS men eventually died of typhus. Subsequent normal Wehrmacht soldiers were outfitted with protective clothing.
The also stated that many local German nurses were put to work caring for the sick. They said that these nurses also died of Typhus.
Now I've seen the films from the war, and even watched a movie about it all, and have been to Bergen-Belsen. This was the first camp that was liberated by the Allies, and I'm sure great effort was placed in showing that the Germans were evil.
But I believe the majority of the deaths at Bergen-Belsen was caused by the aggressive Air campaign against anything that moved in Germany. With no supplies reaching the camp, health went downhill quickly.
That is my opinion.
Bergen was a transit camp through which various peoples were shipped to slave labour camps. Of course Jews, but also anyone which the Third Reich considered as a threat.
After D-Day, Allied aircraft had air superiority over Europe. These fighters, and fighter bombers cruised the area searching for targets of opportunity. These included factories, trains, convoys, and even crop working folks.
This certainly had an effect on the war effort of Germany, they could not move during the daytime to resupply their own forces. The Allied planes knocked out bridges and railways every day.
So it was no surprise that the main effort was to support the troops in the field fighting the Allies, and not to the camps and also PW camps. That with the fact that convoys were attacked at will, resulted in the deaths and disease spreading of the Bergen-Belsen camp by the time it was liberated by the British. Typhus was rampant and killing hundreds a day. No supplies made it difficult for the Germans to keep the population healthy before liberation, and afterwards the cruel fact that you can't just feed starving folks a plain diet led to many deaths.
In the documentary they stated that the SS guards were forced to work among the population. While an admirer of the Waffen SS, these SS were truly evil. Little men with sudden power. These SS men eventually died of typhus. Subsequent normal Wehrmacht soldiers were outfitted with protective clothing.
The also stated that many local German nurses were put to work caring for the sick. They said that these nurses also died of Typhus.
Now I've seen the films from the war, and even watched a movie about it all, and have been to Bergen-Belsen. This was the first camp that was liberated by the Allies, and I'm sure great effort was placed in showing that the Germans were evil.
But I believe the majority of the deaths at Bergen-Belsen was caused by the aggressive Air campaign against anything that moved in Germany. With no supplies reaching the camp, health went downhill quickly.
That is my opinion.
From the website Gray Falcon
Thursday, July 22, 2010The International Court of Injustice
After much hemming and hawing, the International Court of Justice finally declared today that the "declaration of independence" by the Albanian provisional government in the occupied Serbian province of Kosovo did not violate international law, or UNSCR 1244.
Seriously?
Certainly there is no law against declaring independence. But that doesn't mean "Kosovo" had the right to do so. Under UNSCR 1244, it had to remain a part of Serbia - even if under temporary UN control - pending the outcome of status talks. But there were never any talks - there was just NATO messenger Martti Ahtisaari, declaring that Kosovo ought to become an independent, Albanian state. And Serbia was told to take it or leave it.
Technical details, you'll say. After all, the Albanians are such an overwhelming majority. But you never wonder how they got to be such a majority over the past century. Could it be because they sided with the Austrians, the Nazis, the Communists, and NATO - every time at the expense of the Serbs? Between the murder and expulsion of non-Albanians, and the highest birthrates in Europe (much higher than in the neighboring Albania, and unrelated to the level of education), no wonder the Albanians are a majority today. Yet they claim they have historically been the victims of oppression....
But weren't there Serb atrocities? Genocide, mass ethnic cleansing, tens of thousands killed? In short, no. Lies your friendly NATO spokesman fed you to go along with the program. The KLA was romanticized by the media as this idealistic, young, progressive freedom-fighting movement. KLA hats are New York chic. Surely these people have nothing to do with jihadism, and all the church-burning and throat-slitting and bus-bombing - if you've ever heard of them, to begin with - are just righteous revenge for whatever evils the Serbs must have committed to merit such treatment. But then, what of the Albanian behavior in the 1980s, before any of the alleged Serb atrocities had taken place?
This isn't about democracy. It isn't about liberty. There is no such thing as a "Kosovar" ; it is just a matter of time and convenience before the "independent" Kosovo merges into Greater Albania (or "ethnic Albania," as its advocates claim). Meanwhile, Kosovo still buys most of its power, even most of its bread, from the rest of Serbia. Its "government" is a collection of murderous mobsters; between them, they've killed more Albanians than the Serbs were ever accused of.
Oh sure, the U.S. government, much of the EU and many of their client states elsewhere recognize the "Republic of Kosovo." And I suppose more will jump on the bandwagon now, as the propaganda mill spins the ICJ verdict as "justice". But saying something exists doesn't make it so.
No, dear reader, it really isn't as simple as the mainstream media, the State Department, NATO, and now even the ICJ would have you believe.
I know many of you out there can't be bothered to care about this. What's it to you that some country out there got robbed of a piece of land, along with its dignity? But if fabricating and exaggerating atrocities to attack and occupy a country on behalf of a separatist, terrorist movement, isn't illegal... then what, pray tell, is?
You may not care about it now, because the people being bullied are the Serbs, a people you've been told was OK - nay, necessary even - to hate and despise. But tomorrow, it may happen to you. And then it will be too late.
After much hemming and hawing, the International Court of Justice finally declared today that the "declaration of independence" by the Albanian provisional government in the occupied Serbian province of Kosovo did not violate international law, or UNSCR 1244.
Seriously?
Certainly there is no law against declaring independence. But that doesn't mean "Kosovo" had the right to do so. Under UNSCR 1244, it had to remain a part of Serbia - even if under temporary UN control - pending the outcome of status talks. But there were never any talks - there was just NATO messenger Martti Ahtisaari, declaring that Kosovo ought to become an independent, Albanian state. And Serbia was told to take it or leave it.
Technical details, you'll say. After all, the Albanians are such an overwhelming majority. But you never wonder how they got to be such a majority over the past century. Could it be because they sided with the Austrians, the Nazis, the Communists, and NATO - every time at the expense of the Serbs? Between the murder and expulsion of non-Albanians, and the highest birthrates in Europe (much higher than in the neighboring Albania, and unrelated to the level of education), no wonder the Albanians are a majority today. Yet they claim they have historically been the victims of oppression....
But weren't there Serb atrocities? Genocide, mass ethnic cleansing, tens of thousands killed? In short, no. Lies your friendly NATO spokesman fed you to go along with the program. The KLA was romanticized by the media as this idealistic, young, progressive freedom-fighting movement. KLA hats are New York chic. Surely these people have nothing to do with jihadism, and all the church-burning and throat-slitting and bus-bombing - if you've ever heard of them, to begin with - are just righteous revenge for whatever evils the Serbs must have committed to merit such treatment. But then, what of the Albanian behavior in the 1980s, before any of the alleged Serb atrocities had taken place?
This isn't about democracy. It isn't about liberty. There is no such thing as a "Kosovar" ; it is just a matter of time and convenience before the "independent" Kosovo merges into Greater Albania (or "ethnic Albania," as its advocates claim). Meanwhile, Kosovo still buys most of its power, even most of its bread, from the rest of Serbia. Its "government" is a collection of murderous mobsters; between them, they've killed more Albanians than the Serbs were ever accused of.
Oh sure, the U.S. government, much of the EU and many of their client states elsewhere recognize the "Republic of Kosovo." And I suppose more will jump on the bandwagon now, as the propaganda mill spins the ICJ verdict as "justice". But saying something exists doesn't make it so.
No, dear reader, it really isn't as simple as the mainstream media, the State Department, NATO, and now even the ICJ would have you believe.
I know many of you out there can't be bothered to care about this. What's it to you that some country out there got robbed of a piece of land, along with its dignity? But if fabricating and exaggerating atrocities to attack and occupy a country on behalf of a separatist, terrorist movement, isn't illegal... then what, pray tell, is?
You may not care about it now, because the people being bullied are the Serbs, a people you've been told was OK - nay, necessary even - to hate and despise. But tomorrow, it may happen to you. And then it will be too late.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Semrau acquitted of murder in battlefield death
Canadian Forces Capt. Robert Semrau has been found not guilty of second degree murder and attempted murder in a battlefield death in Afghanistan. But he has been found guilty of disgraceful conduct. Semrau, 36, had been accused of firing two rounds from his rifle into a dying Taliban fighter in Helmand province in October 2008. The trial heard that Semrau told fellow officers after the shooting that he wanted to put the dying enemy fighter out of his misery.
Retired Maj.-Gen Lewis Mackenzie told CTV News Channel that he personally was delighted with the verdict.
"I'm very pleased about the three charges and I'll keep my fingers crossed that discreditable conduct – which can range from something like not shaving in the morning to something a lot more serious – that the sentencing will be modest," he said.
Mackenzie noted that mercy killings have likely always taken place on battlefields, but because of the high profile of this case, the Canadian military's rules of engagement will now probably have to be altered.
"But let's face it: nobody but nobody is ever going to say mercy killing is okay. It's something that's between a soldier and his conscience on the battlefield. Anybody that tries to put that in fine print is not going to succeed," Mackenzie said.
I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that his sentence will be light. However when I think of it, if he got not guilty on the other 3 charges - what exactly did he do that was discreditable?
I think the whole thing is a load of shite. It's not like he killed a PW or a civilian, but one of those despicable scumbags that one finds in that shithole of a country. I believe very few Allied soldiers got put on trial for killing PWs, heck I even watched a TV show recently where a Yank openly admitted that it happened.
And that fucking translator that was key in this thing coming to trial should be shot until he is 98% dead, and then just left there in the hot sun waiting for the hand of allah to come down and scoop his ass up and off to his virgin young boys and sheep.
You can be sure now that our troops will be very careful in engaging the taliban from now on. They had better make sure that the arsehole they just shot was reaching for a weapon before shooting him again.
Could you imagine the scenario where some goatfucker was engulfed in flames, and out Troops just watching him slowly die? Well I admit that is what should happen to every backward taliban asshole that engages our Troops, it would just not be right.
The whole thing is making me ill.
Retired Maj.-Gen Lewis Mackenzie told CTV News Channel that he personally was delighted with the verdict.
"I'm very pleased about the three charges and I'll keep my fingers crossed that discreditable conduct – which can range from something like not shaving in the morning to something a lot more serious – that the sentencing will be modest," he said.
Mackenzie noted that mercy killings have likely always taken place on battlefields, but because of the high profile of this case, the Canadian military's rules of engagement will now probably have to be altered.
"But let's face it: nobody but nobody is ever going to say mercy killing is okay. It's something that's between a soldier and his conscience on the battlefield. Anybody that tries to put that in fine print is not going to succeed," Mackenzie said.
I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that his sentence will be light. However when I think of it, if he got not guilty on the other 3 charges - what exactly did he do that was discreditable?
I think the whole thing is a load of shite. It's not like he killed a PW or a civilian, but one of those despicable scumbags that one finds in that shithole of a country. I believe very few Allied soldiers got put on trial for killing PWs, heck I even watched a TV show recently where a Yank openly admitted that it happened.
And that fucking translator that was key in this thing coming to trial should be shot until he is 98% dead, and then just left there in the hot sun waiting for the hand of allah to come down and scoop his ass up and off to his virgin young boys and sheep.
You can be sure now that our troops will be very careful in engaging the taliban from now on. They had better make sure that the arsehole they just shot was reaching for a weapon before shooting him again.
Could you imagine the scenario where some goatfucker was engulfed in flames, and out Troops just watching him slowly die? Well I admit that is what should happen to every backward taliban asshole that engages our Troops, it would just not be right.
The whole thing is making me ill.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sincere and true Democracy, now where would we find that? Probably right next to the Wizard of Oz, next to the sincere and true Socialist/Communist society. I don't believe for a second that our politicians have the greater good of Canada as a priority. And the US is definitely worse. Ok, why would they vote a negro in? Are they really ready to turn the page on slavery and hundreds of years of racism? Just as recently as 50 years ago they could not attend the same schools, ride in the front of a bus, or play baseball in the same league. Big money USA put Obama into the position, and Obama has sucked their teat ever since. Why the majority voted for him? Excellent question. Just because W brought the nation to the brink was no reason in their minds not to have another Republican, especially John McCain.
I remember way back when I was in tenth grade and one of my teachers laid out the following.
If you were stranded on a desert Island with say 20 others how would you live?
Would the 5 fishermen catch fish and sell it to the others? Would the 5 hunters hunt animals and sell the meat to the others? Would the 5 farmers grow vegetables and sell them to the others? Would the 5 carpenters charge the others for building shelters?
Or would everyone gather together and pool their resources and distribute them out to the society?
Of course every one said the latter would be the best. And then the teacher dropped the bombshell on us. He told us that this was Communist Ideals. Now in the tenth grade we were nowhere near being political enough, but we all kind of knew that Communism was bad (1980).
He went on to explain that this was the true philosophy of Communism and it probably will only exist on a desert Island with 20 stranded folks.
I have kept this example in my mind ever since. Along with the theory that a society could get together and vote in a leader. Both simple enough theories/principles for sure.
I figure that nowadays we vote on guys who say they will be our best leader, not the person who we know will be out best leader. And political parties make deals to get themselves voted in. Here in PEI, it's as obvious as one contractor that voted for the winning party getting chosen for a lucrative government deal over another.
Thus these politicians only concern themselves partially with the People, and mostly making a name for them selves and the prestige/$ that comes with being an elected leader.
Of course my inclination towards Socialism really stands in the face of my right wing philosophy.
But by now I've come to accept that the peaceful life of 20 stranded folks who share and live well, is a bit of a fantasy. And that is how Socialism/Communism has gotten root throughout history. Tell the masses of labourers that working conditions will be better, land and factory owners would have to share their wealth, and you have a pretty strong argument. On the other hand you have the rich land and factory owners paying politicians to keep the status quo.
So I guess that I admire both political beliefs. But if a tribe of other stranded folks from another desert island make their way to your island and demand equality even though they have no skills to add to the society - well a bit of force should be applied. If after offers of lessons on how to fish, hunt, farm and build shit, the new folks still would like to lay about, then why not put them in boats and send them on their way?
I realize this little example might parallel recent historical facts. But they just happened to be convenient scapegoats for the politically strong. The struggle in that country was for one type of system over another one, and maybe another one. You had the NDSAP blaming those folks from another island for their laying about and sucking the life out of their economy, you had the communists demanded reform for the masses that worked in farms and factories, and of course you had the King.
In the early years, it could have gone either way. But the memory of WW1, was a bitter seed to swallow. The defeat was partially brought about by Communist Unions going on strike and not loading supplies to the front. Remember that in the summer of 1918 the new German shock troop tactics pushed back the allies. This lack of supplies allowed the allies to push them back. The Army generals having no resources had to capitulate and thus the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty really laid the groundwork for WW2.
Great resources of the German Govt had to be paid in war reparations. That and an influx of several millions unemployed soldiers had a major effect on the country. It is surprising that the country didn't evolve into a civil war. The same communists that started the union strikes that crippled the Army were very strong in the 20's. There were actual battles in cities between the ad hoc forces of the Communists and the Troops loyal to the Throne.
The Communist were making inroads into German industry, their promise of less hours and more pay intrigued the unwashed masses. Unfortunately for them - the wealthy owners had enough money to defeat them. With some payments to the right political party, they could ensure a continued life of excess. They met with AH early on, and subsequently made a deal. This was after his attempted coup, the so called beer hall putsch, when he did not have enough support to overthrow the government.
The deal came in the 30's, and thus one of the most powerful and also simple minded men came into power. Hmm, stalled economy.. let's start building military forces (against the Versailles treaty). Where did the government get the money to finance this? From big monied companies in Germany and powerful German Banks, and foriegn banks that desired the communist party to die in Germany. It would be interesting to know when those folks switched from supporting the next German leader into the possibility of Global financial profit? Maybe that was the goal from stage one?
This money enabled Germany to build up their military might in the face of Versailles Treaty restraints. How the UK and US governments didn't see WW2 coming remains a mystery! Well not such a mystery. Nobody stood up to Germany re-arming, and even less their taking over of sovereign countries. The writing was on the wall just like a modern day graffiti artists product.
Chamberlain's roll over was indeed a sorry story in the great history of Great Britain.
The performance of the Wehrmact was without reproach, After all it is was all out war.... How they hung on against numerous Soviet attacks reflects on the German moral fibre.
The shock troops, the Waffen SS, were often called in to counter attack when all else was lost. They turned the tide of the battle and were ruthless. Which on the Russian front was natural..
USA had so many business dealings with major German Industries ( IG Farben among others) that they didn't see any apparent profit in joining the allied side. That the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour must have sent AH into a rage - Hey I got a multi front war going on and you bring the biggest industrial country against us? And those US soldiers are as tough as nails!!
The D-Day successful landings spelled the end of Germany. They should have immediately said sorry I killed thousands of your troops storming ashore at Juno, Gold, Sword, Utah and Omaha; but could you join us in defeating the Soviets and ensuring democracy in all of Europe. You got the best of me, how about joining me in fighting the Soviets.?
It is hard to see the future of Germany being any better. Devastated in '45, Powerful EU member in 2010.
Our roads are filled with Japanese cars and German ones. Didn't we beat those countries in to submission 65 years ago?
And for this , der is gute Beer...
I remember way back when I was in tenth grade and one of my teachers laid out the following.
If you were stranded on a desert Island with say 20 others how would you live?
Would the 5 fishermen catch fish and sell it to the others? Would the 5 hunters hunt animals and sell the meat to the others? Would the 5 farmers grow vegetables and sell them to the others? Would the 5 carpenters charge the others for building shelters?
Or would everyone gather together and pool their resources and distribute them out to the society?
Of course every one said the latter would be the best. And then the teacher dropped the bombshell on us. He told us that this was Communist Ideals. Now in the tenth grade we were nowhere near being political enough, but we all kind of knew that Communism was bad (1980).
He went on to explain that this was the true philosophy of Communism and it probably will only exist on a desert Island with 20 stranded folks.
I have kept this example in my mind ever since. Along with the theory that a society could get together and vote in a leader. Both simple enough theories/principles for sure.
I figure that nowadays we vote on guys who say they will be our best leader, not the person who we know will be out best leader. And political parties make deals to get themselves voted in. Here in PEI, it's as obvious as one contractor that voted for the winning party getting chosen for a lucrative government deal over another.
Thus these politicians only concern themselves partially with the People, and mostly making a name for them selves and the prestige/$ that comes with being an elected leader.
Of course my inclination towards Socialism really stands in the face of my right wing philosophy.
But by now I've come to accept that the peaceful life of 20 stranded folks who share and live well, is a bit of a fantasy. And that is how Socialism/Communism has gotten root throughout history. Tell the masses of labourers that working conditions will be better, land and factory owners would have to share their wealth, and you have a pretty strong argument. On the other hand you have the rich land and factory owners paying politicians to keep the status quo.
So I guess that I admire both political beliefs. But if a tribe of other stranded folks from another desert island make their way to your island and demand equality even though they have no skills to add to the society - well a bit of force should be applied. If after offers of lessons on how to fish, hunt, farm and build shit, the new folks still would like to lay about, then why not put them in boats and send them on their way?
I realize this little example might parallel recent historical facts. But they just happened to be convenient scapegoats for the politically strong. The struggle in that country was for one type of system over another one, and maybe another one. You had the NDSAP blaming those folks from another island for their laying about and sucking the life out of their economy, you had the communists demanded reform for the masses that worked in farms and factories, and of course you had the King.
In the early years, it could have gone either way. But the memory of WW1, was a bitter seed to swallow. The defeat was partially brought about by Communist Unions going on strike and not loading supplies to the front. Remember that in the summer of 1918 the new German shock troop tactics pushed back the allies. This lack of supplies allowed the allies to push them back. The Army generals having no resources had to capitulate and thus the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty really laid the groundwork for WW2.
Great resources of the German Govt had to be paid in war reparations. That and an influx of several millions unemployed soldiers had a major effect on the country. It is surprising that the country didn't evolve into a civil war. The same communists that started the union strikes that crippled the Army were very strong in the 20's. There were actual battles in cities between the ad hoc forces of the Communists and the Troops loyal to the Throne.
The Communist were making inroads into German industry, their promise of less hours and more pay intrigued the unwashed masses. Unfortunately for them - the wealthy owners had enough money to defeat them. With some payments to the right political party, they could ensure a continued life of excess. They met with AH early on, and subsequently made a deal. This was after his attempted coup, the so called beer hall putsch, when he did not have enough support to overthrow the government.
The deal came in the 30's, and thus one of the most powerful and also simple minded men came into power. Hmm, stalled economy.. let's start building military forces (against the Versailles treaty). Where did the government get the money to finance this? From big monied companies in Germany and powerful German Banks, and foriegn banks that desired the communist party to die in Germany. It would be interesting to know when those folks switched from supporting the next German leader into the possibility of Global financial profit? Maybe that was the goal from stage one?
This money enabled Germany to build up their military might in the face of Versailles Treaty restraints. How the UK and US governments didn't see WW2 coming remains a mystery! Well not such a mystery. Nobody stood up to Germany re-arming, and even less their taking over of sovereign countries. The writing was on the wall just like a modern day graffiti artists product.
Chamberlain's roll over was indeed a sorry story in the great history of Great Britain.
The performance of the Wehrmact was without reproach, After all it is was all out war.... How they hung on against numerous Soviet attacks reflects on the German moral fibre.
The shock troops, the Waffen SS, were often called in to counter attack when all else was lost. They turned the tide of the battle and were ruthless. Which on the Russian front was natural..
USA had so many business dealings with major German Industries ( IG Farben among others) that they didn't see any apparent profit in joining the allied side. That the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour must have sent AH into a rage - Hey I got a multi front war going on and you bring the biggest industrial country against us? And those US soldiers are as tough as nails!!
The D-Day successful landings spelled the end of Germany. They should have immediately said sorry I killed thousands of your troops storming ashore at Juno, Gold, Sword, Utah and Omaha; but could you join us in defeating the Soviets and ensuring democracy in all of Europe. You got the best of me, how about joining me in fighting the Soviets.?
It is hard to see the future of Germany being any better. Devastated in '45, Powerful EU member in 2010.
Our roads are filled with Japanese cars and German ones. Didn't we beat those countries in to submission 65 years ago?
And for this , der is gute Beer...
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Iroquois lacrosse team denied visas by U.K.
The British government has refused to allow an Iroquois lacrosse team to travel to England using passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy.
The decision Wednesday means the team will miss a world championship lacrosse competition in Manchester.
A British Consulate spokeswoman says the team would be able to travel only with documents the United Kingdom considers valid.
Tonya Gonnella Frichner, a member of the Onondaga Nation who works with the team, says it was told by British officials that members would have to use U.S. or Canadian passports to travel to Britain.
The decision was announced hours after the U.S. cleared the team for travel on a one-time waiver at the behest of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The 23 players have passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy, a group of six Indian nations overseeing land that stretches from upstate New York into Ontario.
The U.S. government had said it would only let players back into the country if they have U.S. passports, a team official said. The British government, meanwhile, wouldn't give the players visas if they could not guarantee they'd be allowed to go home..
Iroquois team members born within U.S. borders have been offered U.S. passports, but the players refuse to carry them because they see the government-issued documents as an attack on their identity, Frichner said earlier this week.
"It's about sovereignty, citizenship and self-identification," said Frichner, who also is the North American regional representative to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
The Iroquois have used their own passports in the past, but U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the new dispute can be traced to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which went into effect last year. The new rules require, among other things, that Americans carry passports or high-tech documents to cross the country's borders.
One Iroquois player, Brett Bucktooth, said he would rather miss the tournament than travel under a U.S. passport.
"That's the people we are, and that's our identity," he said.
Ahem - Sovereignty and citizenship were well established, whether right or wrong, by the countries of Canada and USA a long time ago. If they are allowed to issue passports, then why not Quebec who consider themselves a separate soverign govt?
As above, the problem is from new rules of travel, so there is nothing they can do about it.
These guys are being too political, instead of just being athletes. I know that USSR boycotted US Olympics, and vice-versa; but they were assholes for doing it.
They should just accept their Canadian/US passports and travel for competition and to display their culture.
The decision Wednesday means the team will miss a world championship lacrosse competition in Manchester.
A British Consulate spokeswoman says the team would be able to travel only with documents the United Kingdom considers valid.
Tonya Gonnella Frichner, a member of the Onondaga Nation who works with the team, says it was told by British officials that members would have to use U.S. or Canadian passports to travel to Britain.
The decision was announced hours after the U.S. cleared the team for travel on a one-time waiver at the behest of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The 23 players have passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy, a group of six Indian nations overseeing land that stretches from upstate New York into Ontario.
The U.S. government had said it would only let players back into the country if they have U.S. passports, a team official said. The British government, meanwhile, wouldn't give the players visas if they could not guarantee they'd be allowed to go home..
Iroquois team members born within U.S. borders have been offered U.S. passports, but the players refuse to carry them because they see the government-issued documents as an attack on their identity, Frichner said earlier this week.
"It's about sovereignty, citizenship and self-identification," said Frichner, who also is the North American regional representative to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
The Iroquois have used their own passports in the past, but U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the new dispute can be traced to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which went into effect last year. The new rules require, among other things, that Americans carry passports or high-tech documents to cross the country's borders.
One Iroquois player, Brett Bucktooth, said he would rather miss the tournament than travel under a U.S. passport.
"That's the people we are, and that's our identity," he said.
Ahem - Sovereignty and citizenship were well established, whether right or wrong, by the countries of Canada and USA a long time ago. If they are allowed to issue passports, then why not Quebec who consider themselves a separate soverign govt?
As above, the problem is from new rules of travel, so there is nothing they can do about it.
These guys are being too political, instead of just being athletes. I know that USSR boycotted US Olympics, and vice-versa; but they were assholes for doing it.
They should just accept their Canadian/US passports and travel for competition and to display their culture.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Alberta Mountie charged in wife's death
He was known as a family man, a father of two young boys who volunteered his time coaching kids’ soccer. He was also a community activist, using a radio platform to give advice to new immigrants to the country.
Neighbours of Tarith Sehmbi are shocked that the Edmonton RCMP officer stands accused of killing his wife.
Constable Sehmbi, a 36-year-old Mountie with seven years of experience on the force, was charged Sunday with second-degree murder in the slaying of his wife. Her name was not released.
Neighbours near the couple’s home reported hearing what sounded like gunshots the morning earlier. Shortly after, police arrived to find the body of a woman inside the home.
“He wanted to do a lot for the community,” said Sukhdev Dhillon, president of Radio Punjabi, an Edmonton radio station that caters to the South Asian community. “When I heard what had happened, I was shocked.”
Mr. Dhillon said that Constable Sehmbi had, until a few months ago, volunteered regularly at Radio Punjabi, co-hosting a weekly radio show that gave advice to newcomers, particularly on issues dealing with police.
Constable Sehmbi, who worked in the traffic services division at an Edmonton-area detachment, would give audiences advice on everything from dealing with traffic tickets, to tips on obtaining a driver’s licence.
“When people come from India, they have a very different perspective of police,” Mr. Dhillon said. “People can be scared of going to police, so he showed that this isn’t like India, that police can be very helpful and friendly."
Well this story either shows us that murderers are in the ranks of the RCMP, or that Sihks don't like when their wives become too Canadian.
Now I know that is generalizing too much in light of this tragic event, but I don't care. There have been police killers before, and the Sikhs don't have a rosy history either.
Now I'm going way out there now:,
To my knowledge:
They say that in the beginning life started in Africa when smart monkeys and apes evolved into Homo Erectus, and then into Homo Sapiens, probably when the females had had enough of erect penises. The human inquisitive spirit led them to explore far away lands. So they spread throughout the globe, the same species but adapting to their new homelands. That is probably why the Scandinavians like pickled herring, and so forth. They spread and they flourished.
But that is all in theory, albeit a theory supported by many (except the Catholics and so forth with their hand of god bullshite).
Why didn't the emergence of the first humans in Africa or Iraq turn those places into technologistal superpowers? If we all are the same, why didn't they learn how to build skyscapers and trailer parks before the ones who had left these homelands. Were these homelands so backward in tribal beliefs that they held down progressive thought?
Is it just a coincidence that when they spread to northern lands, that they got smarter? Rome thought they were Mr Smartie pants when they first conquered the Germans - the so called barbarians. But the world today loves Mercedes and BMW, and hates Fiat and who can afford a Fierrai?
And that is why western apes have evolved faster than most. We were smart enough to develop skyscrapers and trailer parks and the K-Car.
While the stronger upright apes focused on keeping the females subservient, we lost that focus on our way to creating a better world for all.
No the white man isn't the better man... the white woman is the strongest force known to man. And the brown woman who comes into our land and learns of all the rights that the white woman have fought for over the centuries, they begin to rebel against the brown man. When I mean rebel I mean it in the brown world kind of way, ie make your own lunch, clean up after yourself and take out the garbage everynow and then..
Sadly, most brown men who come to Canada can't stand this. After one more time of the woman he married and had 2.5 beatiful kids with, nagged him to pick up his underwear of the bedroom floor! He snapped! Lost it!
I'm not saying all brown immagrants are loose cannons, but even if they are sticks with a nail in the end we should keep them out of here!
Why don't we put our effort into enticing southern Americans to come here? Sure they won't work our menial jobs, but they will fit right into our EI/welfare system! And they breed like rabbits, thus increasing our population, which seems to be so important to our politicians.
I think that is what this country needs - more illiterate welfare cases, not those hard working brown folks who once in a while decides to put his foot down. After all, our welfare daddies should put their foots down and force thier bitches to suck dick for beer money right?
Chris Collier
http://dragoon43a.blogspot.com/
Support our Troops Appuyons nos troupes
Neighbours of Tarith Sehmbi are shocked that the Edmonton RCMP officer stands accused of killing his wife.
Constable Sehmbi, a 36-year-old Mountie with seven years of experience on the force, was charged Sunday with second-degree murder in the slaying of his wife. Her name was not released.
Neighbours near the couple’s home reported hearing what sounded like gunshots the morning earlier. Shortly after, police arrived to find the body of a woman inside the home.
“He wanted to do a lot for the community,” said Sukhdev Dhillon, president of Radio Punjabi, an Edmonton radio station that caters to the South Asian community. “When I heard what had happened, I was shocked.”
Mr. Dhillon said that Constable Sehmbi had, until a few months ago, volunteered regularly at Radio Punjabi, co-hosting a weekly radio show that gave advice to newcomers, particularly on issues dealing with police.
Constable Sehmbi, who worked in the traffic services division at an Edmonton-area detachment, would give audiences advice on everything from dealing with traffic tickets, to tips on obtaining a driver’s licence.
“When people come from India, they have a very different perspective of police,” Mr. Dhillon said. “People can be scared of going to police, so he showed that this isn’t like India, that police can be very helpful and friendly."
Well this story either shows us that murderers are in the ranks of the RCMP, or that Sihks don't like when their wives become too Canadian.
Now I know that is generalizing too much in light of this tragic event, but I don't care. There have been police killers before, and the Sikhs don't have a rosy history either.
Now I'm going way out there now:,
To my knowledge:
They say that in the beginning life started in Africa when smart monkeys and apes evolved into Homo Erectus, and then into Homo Sapiens, probably when the females had had enough of erect penises. The human inquisitive spirit led them to explore far away lands. So they spread throughout the globe, the same species but adapting to their new homelands. That is probably why the Scandinavians like pickled herring, and so forth. They spread and they flourished.
But that is all in theory, albeit a theory supported by many (except the Catholics and so forth with their hand of god bullshite).
Why didn't the emergence of the first humans in Africa or Iraq turn those places into technologistal superpowers? If we all are the same, why didn't they learn how to build skyscapers and trailer parks before the ones who had left these homelands. Were these homelands so backward in tribal beliefs that they held down progressive thought?
Is it just a coincidence that when they spread to northern lands, that they got smarter? Rome thought they were Mr Smartie pants when they first conquered the Germans - the so called barbarians. But the world today loves Mercedes and BMW, and hates Fiat and who can afford a Fierrai?
And that is why western apes have evolved faster than most. We were smart enough to develop skyscrapers and trailer parks and the K-Car.
While the stronger upright apes focused on keeping the females subservient, we lost that focus on our way to creating a better world for all.
No the white man isn't the better man... the white woman is the strongest force known to man. And the brown woman who comes into our land and learns of all the rights that the white woman have fought for over the centuries, they begin to rebel against the brown man. When I mean rebel I mean it in the brown world kind of way, ie make your own lunch, clean up after yourself and take out the garbage everynow and then..
Sadly, most brown men who come to Canada can't stand this. After one more time of the woman he married and had 2.5 beatiful kids with, nagged him to pick up his underwear of the bedroom floor! He snapped! Lost it!
I'm not saying all brown immagrants are loose cannons, but even if they are sticks with a nail in the end we should keep them out of here!
Why don't we put our effort into enticing southern Americans to come here? Sure they won't work our menial jobs, but they will fit right into our EI/welfare system! And they breed like rabbits, thus increasing our population, which seems to be so important to our politicians.
I think that is what this country needs - more illiterate welfare cases, not those hard working brown folks who once in a while decides to put his foot down. After all, our welfare daddies should put their foots down and force thier bitches to suck dick for beer money right?
Chris Collier
http://dragoon43a.blogspot.com/
Support our Troops Appuyons nos troupes
alexfalex wrote:
Very sad memories.
But one thing is unclear. Why mainstream media has always been hesitant in telling the whole story. What lead peaceful Serbs to this. I don't mean particular orders by particular politicians. But what made Serbs be willing to support this?
Nothing justifies killings of innocent people, but telling the whole story will help distribute responsibility JUSTLY thus helping avoid events like this in the future.
Otherwise, it looks too simplified: as bad Serbs have massacred good Muslims.
Be HONEST. Only truth will set you free. (They also say, "unless it was you who did it...").
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/11/srebrenica-massacre-burial.html#socialcomments#ixzz0tRDra26Q
But one thing is unclear. Why mainstream media has always been hesitant in telling the whole story. What lead peaceful Serbs to this. I don't mean particular orders by particular politicians. But what made Serbs be willing to support this?
Nothing justifies killings of innocent people, but telling the whole story will help distribute responsibility JUSTLY thus helping avoid events like this in the future.
Otherwise, it looks too simplified: as bad Serbs have massacred good Muslims.
Be HONEST. Only truth will set you free. (They also say, "unless it was you who did it...").
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/11/srebrenica-massacre-burial.html#socialcomments#ixzz0tRDra26Q
DAVE24 wrote:
The hundreds of people buried today were found far from Srebrenica and not found for 15 years. How do they know they were killed at Srebrenica.
I still remember CBC reporting this horrible time. There were six days of hard fighting befpre the Serbs captured the city. Who was doing that fighting? It wasn't the Dutch troops there for the UN. It was the Bosnian Army using the town as a safe haven but attacking outside it. .
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/11/srebrenica-massacre-burial.html#socialcomments#ixzz0tRDclBTq
I still remember CBC reporting this horrible time. There were six days of hard fighting befpre the Serbs captured the city. Who was doing that fighting? It wasn't the Dutch troops there for the UN. It was the Bosnian Army using the town as a safe haven but attacking outside it. .
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/11/srebrenica-massacre-burial.html#socialcomments#ixzz0tRDclBTq
gregwith wrote on CBC website:
Naser Oric, bosnian muslim "commandant" of Srebrenica war criminal, who was freed from Hague (agent of couple of secret service agencies and former bodyguard of Slobodan Milsoevic), is the person who was in charge of bosnian muslim paramilitary forces in Srebrenica.
He is reall killer here, and was tried in Hague, but released even though some muslims from Srebrenioca witnessed that he killed himself more than 100 serbian civilans who were not armed inside the Srebrenica town before and while it was a UN "protective zone".
During the years of "protective zone" (1992 -1995), bosnian muslims paramilitary was not demiltirazed, but actually was smuggling weapons with the help of UN and with this weapons and under the nose of UN French and then Dutch "peacemakers" killed around 4000 civilians around Srebrenica (victims names are also registered and the are burried but without any memorial complex or marking by dignitaries every year).
Who allowed this, and why we as people of the world didn't prevent it?
What about 5200 serbian civilians killed in Sarajevo city under the nose of UN headquarters, and under the control of muslim forces who were killed in their flats, pits, camps for Serbs (126 in Sarajevo alone), , force labour on the war line and around 520 in BH, who believed in west and muslim side story about so called "multienthnic" Bosnia?
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/11/srebrenica-massacre-burial.html#socialcomments#ixzz0tRCw8nUh
He is reall killer here, and was tried in Hague, but released even though some muslims from Srebrenioca witnessed that he killed himself more than 100 serbian civilans who were not armed inside the Srebrenica town before and while it was a UN "protective zone".
During the years of "protective zone" (1992 -1995), bosnian muslims paramilitary was not demiltirazed, but actually was smuggling weapons with the help of UN and with this weapons and under the nose of UN French and then Dutch "peacemakers" killed around 4000 civilians around Srebrenica (victims names are also registered and the are burried but without any memorial complex or marking by dignitaries every year).
Who allowed this, and why we as people of the world didn't prevent it?
What about 5200 serbian civilians killed in Sarajevo city under the nose of UN headquarters, and under the control of muslim forces who were killed in their flats, pits, camps for Serbs (126 in Sarajevo alone), , force labour on the war line and around 520 in BH, who believed in west and muslim side story about so called "multienthnic" Bosnia?
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/11/srebrenica-massacre-burial.html#socialcomments#ixzz0tRCw8nUh
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Bosnia buries 775 Srebrenica massacre victims
Tens of thousands gathered Sunday in the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica to bury hundreds of massacre victims on the 15th anniversary of the worst crime in Europe since the Nazi era.
A whole hillside was dug out with graves waiting for 775 coffins to be laid to rest at the biggest Srebrenica funeral so far. Still, that was less than a 10th of the total number of Muslim men and boys executed after Serb forces overran the UN-protected town on July 11, 1995, during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.
Fifteen years later, no one represented the UN at the ceremony. Serbian President Boris Tadic was the first dignitary to arrive, saying he was coming in an "act of reconciliation."
He wanted to "build bridges of trust and understanding among the nations in the region," he said in Belgrade.
In Srebrenica, some in the crowd yelled "Bravo, Boris!" while others asked "Where is Mladic?" — a reference to former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, who led the Serb troops into Srebrenica.
Ok now!
Were these 775 new bodies found in new mass graves discovered around SB, which would add to the small amount of bodies actually found in the area?
Or are they previously accounted for bodies who are just getting reburied with much fanfare on the 15th day of this "massacre"?
A whole hillside was dug out with graves waiting for 775 coffins to be laid to rest at the biggest Srebrenica funeral so far. Still, that was less than a 10th of the total number of Muslim men and boys executed after Serb forces overran the UN-protected town on July 11, 1995, during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.
Fifteen years later, no one represented the UN at the ceremony. Serbian President Boris Tadic was the first dignitary to arrive, saying he was coming in an "act of reconciliation."
He wanted to "build bridges of trust and understanding among the nations in the region," he said in Belgrade.
In Srebrenica, some in the crowd yelled "Bravo, Boris!" while others asked "Where is Mladic?" — a reference to former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, who led the Serb troops into Srebrenica.
Ok now!
Were these 775 new bodies found in new mass graves discovered around SB, which would add to the small amount of bodies actually found in the area?
Or are they previously accounted for bodies who are just getting reburied with much fanfare on the 15th day of this "massacre"?
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Statement by Zeljko Milicevic on his lawsuit against Canada for its role in war in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Zeljko Milicevic filed a lawsuit against Canada for its role in Bosnia and Herzegovina war for the period from 1992 until 1995. The following is a statement by Mr. Milicevic regarding the lawsuit:
Bosnia and Herzegovina has survived centuries of injustice, and crimes committed against her and her people. I am a living witness to some of the most extraordinary and cruel crimes which were committed against her.
For a period of time I participated in spreading the truth about war and genocide in Bosnia and fought for justice for Bosnian people. I contributed to pro-Bosnian media and provided record of past co-existence of peoples of all religious beliefs so that we do not forget that we, at one time, could live and work together.
I have come to realize that simply writing about past or present life in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not going to bring about the necessary change in terms of establishing the only truth and justice which is critical to providing for catharsis of those who have sinned, and, on the other hand, to give the victims the inalienable rights to receive the needed apology in order to forgive.
In order to obtain justice in response to the heinous crimes committed against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosniak people in general, I have decided to take Canada and those for whom I believe are guilty into the courtroom, right here in the capital city of Canada.
Substantial evidence about their complicity in the crime of genocide against Bosnia and Herzegovina and against Bosniaks exists in the public domain. Substantial evidence of their complicity exists in the domain which is hidden from the public at large. That evidence, however, is accessible to the Federal Court of Canada, which is the institution I have entrusted my legal case to.
This legal claim is about fundamental justice, for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for Canada.
You can see his lawsuit here:
http://www.bosniak.org/statement-by-zeljko-milicevic-on-his-lawsuit-against-canada-for-its-role-in-war-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina/
Well I'm not sure where to start but here goes. If it weren't for the Canadian and other peacekeepers the Islamic illegal uprising would have been dealt with in comparatively short fashion. The whole mess got started by Croatia's independance being recognized by Germany, a EU bigshot. Everyone warned that is was too early and would probably lead to the expulsion of Serbs from the new Croatia's borders. Bosnian Muslim politicians thought it also a great time to declare independance. Their leader, Alija Izetbegovic, was all for a separate Bosnian state. He got heavily influenced by the Islamic communities, ie, Saudi Arabis et all.
Izetbegovic was born in 1925 to a well-off Bosnian-Muslim family in the town of Bosanski Samac. He studied law in Sarajevo.
"As a young man, he identified himself with an Islamist group, the "Young Muslims," that was sometimes branded as being hard-line. Yugoslavia's totalitarian regime sent him to prison twice for "pan-Islamic activities" -- the first time in the late 1940s and then again in 1983.
A deeply religious man, Izetbegovic had sometimes been accused of having fundamentalist tendencies, but in his public discourse he sought to reconcile Islam with the European character of Bosnia's Muslim society."
He moved towards independance and the Serbs in Bosnia knew what that meant. Less rights and the imposition of Islamic law. They decided to fight it.
He states: I contributed to pro-Bosnian media and provided record of past co-existence of peoples of all religious beliefs so that we do not forget that we, at one time, could live and work together.
Well that is true, but as stated above the Serbs could see the writing on the wall and decided to raise arms against Islamic radicals taking over Bosnia.
In his lawsuit he claims that the defendants are accomplises to the crime of genocide against the non-Serb Bosnians in general, and the Bosniaks, the indigenous Muslims of Europe.
Well Mirriam Webster defines indegenous as: 1 : having originated in and being produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment.
Well sorry Zeljko, Bosniaks didn't originate until the Turkish empire defeated the Serb in Kosovo way back when (hence the importance of Kosova to Serbs). Then the Turks forced the residents to convert to Islam. This was probably a do or die situation for the residents. Turks also used the practise of taking sons from families and sending them eastward to be indocrinated (brainwashed) into Islamic radicals. On return years later, these Serbian sons only understood Islamic principles, and gradually the residents became Muslim.
I will admit, I'm not sure how it came to be in Bosnia there lived Muslims and Serbs and Croats, but it probably was due to the fall of the Turkish (Ottoman) empire.
Well what else to rant about,,, I only hope that the lawsuit and the bill to declare July 11 a national Srebrinca memorial day dies. Stephen Harper has already squashed a motion for it, so I suspect it won't be passed.
And I started out this evening on such a high note: Germany won the bronze medal game, the Blue Jays won, it thunderstormed so I don't have to water the weeds in my garden soon.
I will go to the grave fighting for the Serbs!!
I also posted my comments on Facebook about this whole scandoulous thing, I anticipate several quiet friend deletions.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has survived centuries of injustice, and crimes committed against her and her people. I am a living witness to some of the most extraordinary and cruel crimes which were committed against her.
For a period of time I participated in spreading the truth about war and genocide in Bosnia and fought for justice for Bosnian people. I contributed to pro-Bosnian media and provided record of past co-existence of peoples of all religious beliefs so that we do not forget that we, at one time, could live and work together.
I have come to realize that simply writing about past or present life in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not going to bring about the necessary change in terms of establishing the only truth and justice which is critical to providing for catharsis of those who have sinned, and, on the other hand, to give the victims the inalienable rights to receive the needed apology in order to forgive.
In order to obtain justice in response to the heinous crimes committed against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosniak people in general, I have decided to take Canada and those for whom I believe are guilty into the courtroom, right here in the capital city of Canada.
Substantial evidence about their complicity in the crime of genocide against Bosnia and Herzegovina and against Bosniaks exists in the public domain. Substantial evidence of their complicity exists in the domain which is hidden from the public at large. That evidence, however, is accessible to the Federal Court of Canada, which is the institution I have entrusted my legal case to.
This legal claim is about fundamental justice, for Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for Canada.
You can see his lawsuit here:
http://www.bosniak.org/statement-by-zeljko-milicevic-on-his-lawsuit-against-canada-for-its-role-in-war-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina/
Well I'm not sure where to start but here goes. If it weren't for the Canadian and other peacekeepers the Islamic illegal uprising would have been dealt with in comparatively short fashion. The whole mess got started by Croatia's independance being recognized by Germany, a EU bigshot. Everyone warned that is was too early and would probably lead to the expulsion of Serbs from the new Croatia's borders. Bosnian Muslim politicians thought it also a great time to declare independance. Their leader, Alija Izetbegovic, was all for a separate Bosnian state. He got heavily influenced by the Islamic communities, ie, Saudi Arabis et all.
Izetbegovic was born in 1925 to a well-off Bosnian-Muslim family in the town of Bosanski Samac. He studied law in Sarajevo.
"As a young man, he identified himself with an Islamist group, the "Young Muslims," that was sometimes branded as being hard-line. Yugoslavia's totalitarian regime sent him to prison twice for "pan-Islamic activities" -- the first time in the late 1940s and then again in 1983.
A deeply religious man, Izetbegovic had sometimes been accused of having fundamentalist tendencies, but in his public discourse he sought to reconcile Islam with the European character of Bosnia's Muslim society."
He moved towards independance and the Serbs in Bosnia knew what that meant. Less rights and the imposition of Islamic law. They decided to fight it.
He states: I contributed to pro-Bosnian media and provided record of past co-existence of peoples of all religious beliefs so that we do not forget that we, at one time, could live and work together.
Well that is true, but as stated above the Serbs could see the writing on the wall and decided to raise arms against Islamic radicals taking over Bosnia.
In his lawsuit he claims that the defendants are accomplises to the crime of genocide against the non-Serb Bosnians in general, and the Bosniaks, the indigenous Muslims of Europe.
Well Mirriam Webster defines indegenous as: 1 : having originated in and being produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment.
Well sorry Zeljko, Bosniaks didn't originate until the Turkish empire defeated the Serb in Kosovo way back when (hence the importance of Kosova to Serbs). Then the Turks forced the residents to convert to Islam. This was probably a do or die situation for the residents. Turks also used the practise of taking sons from families and sending them eastward to be indocrinated (brainwashed) into Islamic radicals. On return years later, these Serbian sons only understood Islamic principles, and gradually the residents became Muslim.
I will admit, I'm not sure how it came to be in Bosnia there lived Muslims and Serbs and Croats, but it probably was due to the fall of the Turkish (Ottoman) empire.
Well what else to rant about,,, I only hope that the lawsuit and the bill to declare July 11 a national Srebrinca memorial day dies. Stephen Harper has already squashed a motion for it, so I suspect it won't be passed.
And I started out this evening on such a high note: Germany won the bronze medal game, the Blue Jays won, it thunderstormed so I don't have to water the weeds in my garden soon.
I will go to the grave fighting for the Serbs!!
I also posted my comments on Facebook about this whole scandoulous thing, I anticipate several quiet friend deletions.
Canadian commander in Haiti relieved of duty
The top Canadian military commander in Haiti has been relieved of his duties after allegations he was involved in an inappropriate relationship with someone outside the Forces.
Col. Bernard Ouellette, who was the chief of staff for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, is under investigation, said Lt.-Col. Chris Lemay, a spokesman for Canadian Expeditionary Force Command.
Lemay said the decision was based on Ouellette's "inability to address a negative environment that lasted a few months, which affected the morale and team cohesion within the Canadian contingent."
The "situation within the team deteriorated," Lemay added
"Ouellete was at the end of his tour," Lemay said, adding that he did "great on the mission in Haiti, especially during the earthquake. He should be applauded for that."
Alain Pellerin, executive director of the Conference of Defence Associations, says the decision to dismiss Ouellette — coming so closely on the heels of Menard's dismissal and during the high-profile court-martial of Capt. Robert Semrau for the murder of a gravely wounded Afghan insurgent — is part of a stark message to the rank-and-file.
"The message is that the rules are there to be obeyed, and they must be obeyed by everyone: from the soldiers on the ground to those in command," he said.
"What you're seeing with the Menard and Semrau cases, and with this latest one, is a message that the army of today is not the army of decades ago. The Armed Forces will not stand for another Somalia."
Pellerin's reference to Somalia goes back to one of the darkest scandals in Canadian military history — the vicious beating death of a Somali teen by Canadian soldiers serving there during a humanitarian mission in 1993.
Well it looks like another senior office has gotten himself into a little trouble. Whether it was actually having sex with someone, or just an emotional thing, has not come out. The story states that this had been going on for months; why the delay in firing him?
And Pellerin's reference to Somalia is quite like a pile of shite. It is not like the Canadian Army never beat to death anyone before. To think that the actions of a few caused the disbanding of the Airborne Regt is f**king horrible. Only to have the Army create the CSOR (Canadian Special Operations Regiment)for duty in Afghanistan when they realized - Hey, we could sure use some tough well-trained combat killer hero types to fight the Taliban.
Robert Semrau's case should be thrown out, and it never should have been brought this far.
And Bernard Ouellete is another R22R, vandoo. And while they said he did a great job in Haiti, particulary after the quake, while on the same page is another story about how Haitian relief is disorganized and they wonder where all the money went is quite curious.
Pakistan suicide attack kills 102
The death toll in one of the deadliest bomb attacks in Pakistan this year rose to 102 as the search for victims continued Saturday.
A pair of suicide bombers struck outside a government office Friday in the Mohmand agency, a remote Pashtun tribal region on the northwestern border with Afghanistan. The attack was aimed at anti-Taliban tribal elders who were to meet with a local government official in the village of Yakaghund.
Pakistani Taliban spokesman Akramullah Mohmand called local journalists late Friday and claimed responsibility, saying the elders were the target.
The elders were not hurt, according to Mohmand chief administrator Rasool Khan. However, there are reports that at least five children and several women were among the dead.
The attack left at least 168 people wounded in the village, which has a population of about 4,000 and lies on the edge of Pakistan's tribal belt and the Khyber-Pakhtoonkwa province. Seventy to 80 shops were damaged or destroyed, while damage to a prison building allowed 28 prisoners — ordinary criminals, not militants — to flee, Khan said.
Well it's interesting to note that their attacks produce lots of collateral damage and death, like out arty and air attacks. Apparently none of the target elders were harmed, so their int must be as good as ours.
What a bloody quagmire....
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/07/10/pakistan-suicide-explosions.html#ixzz0tIXwnnjO
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Johnston named Canada's next governor general
David Johnston, announced as Canada's next governor general on Thursday, is pledging to be a "stalwart defender" of Canada's heritage, institutions and people.
After weeks of speculation, the Prime Minister's Office said the Canadian legal scholar and president of the University of Waterloo has been approved by the Queen and will take over on Oct. 1 after Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean's term ends.
In a statement to reporters from the Senate foyer in Ottawa, Johnston called the appointment a "mark of confidence that touches me profoundly." He also noted his predecessors, from Samuel de Champlain to Jean, have set a "fine example" for him to follow.
Johnston also said he looked forward to meeting with members of the Canadian Forces.
While others praised Johnston's appointment, the grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said he was disappointed.
Given the progress made between the federal government and aboriginal people with the apology for residential schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Chief Ron Evans said appointing an aboriginal person to Rideau Hall seemed the next logical step.
Well who the heck is this guy? Some sort of conservative scholar who will puppy himself to Harper? And grant other prorogue to the PM?
What the heck does the GG do anyway? Sure he/she represents the Queen here in Canada, but what the heck does the Queen do for her own country?
After Clarkson and Jean, two media types, here we get someone with some educational knowledge, apparently. But while all of Canada has heard of the two ladies, who the heck has heard of Johnston?
And I think that the grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has a good point. The last two have been immigrants, why not a GG for Canada who has roots in the original Canadians?
Well an old vanilla dude after Clarkson and Jean put some much needed energy into the position. He wants to meet the milatary? Give me a break. University dudes are famous for being not concerned at all with the military.
It should have been a Native Canadian, after all - after an immigrant Chinese and an immigrant Haitian, the time is right for an original Canadian to spread the good word.
Oh yeah, there could be a problem, after all Clarkson and Jean have suckled on the Government teat until it bled; and for the first half of our country all we cared about was defeating the Indians and Metis and watching their blood seep into the earth..
We will see where this story ends up,amigos.
After weeks of speculation, the Prime Minister's Office said the Canadian legal scholar and president of the University of Waterloo has been approved by the Queen and will take over on Oct. 1 after Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean's term ends.
In a statement to reporters from the Senate foyer in Ottawa, Johnston called the appointment a "mark of confidence that touches me profoundly." He also noted his predecessors, from Samuel de Champlain to Jean, have set a "fine example" for him to follow.
Johnston also said he looked forward to meeting with members of the Canadian Forces.
While others praised Johnston's appointment, the grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said he was disappointed.
Given the progress made between the federal government and aboriginal people with the apology for residential schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Chief Ron Evans said appointing an aboriginal person to Rideau Hall seemed the next logical step.
Well who the heck is this guy? Some sort of conservative scholar who will puppy himself to Harper? And grant other prorogue to the PM?
What the heck does the GG do anyway? Sure he/she represents the Queen here in Canada, but what the heck does the Queen do for her own country?
After Clarkson and Jean, two media types, here we get someone with some educational knowledge, apparently. But while all of Canada has heard of the two ladies, who the heck has heard of Johnston?
And I think that the grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has a good point. The last two have been immigrants, why not a GG for Canada who has roots in the original Canadians?
Well an old vanilla dude after Clarkson and Jean put some much needed energy into the position. He wants to meet the milatary? Give me a break. University dudes are famous for being not concerned at all with the military.
It should have been a Native Canadian, after all - after an immigrant Chinese and an immigrant Haitian, the time is right for an original Canadian to spread the good word.
Oh yeah, there could be a problem, after all Clarkson and Jean have suckled on the Government teat until it bled; and for the first half of our country all we cared about was defeating the Indians and Metis and watching their blood seep into the earth..
We will see where this story ends up,amigos.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
'Wes the Cat' goes back to jail
A long-time petty criminal in Charlottetown has received his 66th conviction.
Wilfred Stanley Edwards, 65, was sentenced to 90 days in jail in Provincial Court Monday.
Edwards, also known as "Wes the Cat," stole a P.E.I. Humane Society donation jar containing $26. The jar had been located at a Charlottetown restaurant.
Edwards' previous convictions almost all relate to petty theft.
Crown attorney John McMillan argued for a two-year federal penitentiary term, saying Edwards was making a mockery of the justice system with his repeat thefts.
Edwards blamed alcohol for his crimes but indicated he's cutting back on his consumption.
"Captain Morgan's been put away," he told the court. "I only drink some beer and maybe a little of the Russian Prince Vodka."
Edwards — who arrived at the courthouse on a blue, 10-speed Supercycle — did not bring a lawyer with him to the hearing.
66th conviction!?? Some posters to this story on CBC website are blaming the lack of PEI mental health care for his crimes. They say he should have been forced to AA a long time ago, and then followed to ensure he stayed sober. I agree somewhat with this, but I also think some hard time in a federal penitentiary would have done some good - about 40 convictions or so earlier.
What's hard about 3 meals a day and a dry bed in Sleepy Hollow? Then again, if he did spend a lot of time there already, when didn't those periods of sobriety help him to thrust the devil's brew aside? Could it be that he had become aware that a little time in jail was not a hard thing? Especially to an alcoholic who probably isn't used to the finer things in life while free. Maybe he is just another example of the folks that use the system in a way it was not designed to function.
It will be interesting to see how long after his release he will be caught with his hand in the money jar again.
Wilfred Stanley Edwards, 65, was sentenced to 90 days in jail in Provincial Court Monday.
Edwards, also known as "Wes the Cat," stole a P.E.I. Humane Society donation jar containing $26. The jar had been located at a Charlottetown restaurant.
Edwards' previous convictions almost all relate to petty theft.
Crown attorney John McMillan argued for a two-year federal penitentiary term, saying Edwards was making a mockery of the justice system with his repeat thefts.
Edwards blamed alcohol for his crimes but indicated he's cutting back on his consumption.
"Captain Morgan's been put away," he told the court. "I only drink some beer and maybe a little of the Russian Prince Vodka."
Edwards — who arrived at the courthouse on a blue, 10-speed Supercycle — did not bring a lawyer with him to the hearing.
66th conviction!?? Some posters to this story on CBC website are blaming the lack of PEI mental health care for his crimes. They say he should have been forced to AA a long time ago, and then followed to ensure he stayed sober. I agree somewhat with this, but I also think some hard time in a federal penitentiary would have done some good - about 40 convictions or so earlier.
What's hard about 3 meals a day and a dry bed in Sleepy Hollow? Then again, if he did spend a lot of time there already, when didn't those periods of sobriety help him to thrust the devil's brew aside? Could it be that he had become aware that a little time in jail was not a hard thing? Especially to an alcoholic who probably isn't used to the finer things in life while free. Maybe he is just another example of the folks that use the system in a way it was not designed to function.
It will be interesting to see how long after his release he will be caught with his hand in the money jar again.
Manson Follower Up for Parole for 19th Time
Leslie Van Houten, the one-time Charles Manson follower long seen as the most likely of his ex-acolytes to win freedom someday, faces her 19th parole hearing on Tuesday with a new lawyer and new case law which may give her the best chance yet for release.
Van Houten, 60, remains incarcerated at the California Institution for Women at Frontera, the same prison where another Manson follower, Patricia Krenwinkle, is imprisoned. She has been in prison since the early 70's.
Van Houten was convicted of murder and conspiracy for her role in the slayings of the wealthy grocers, Leno and Rosemary La Bianca.
The La Biancas were stabbed to death in August 1969, one night after Manson's followers killed actress Sharon Tate and four others including celebrity hairdresser Jay Sebring, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, filmmaker Voityck Frykowksi and Steven Parent, a friend of the Tate estate's caretaker.
Van Houten did not participate in the Tate killings but went along the next night when the La Biancas were slain in their home. During the penalty phase of her trial she confessed to joining in stabbing Mrs. La Bianca after she was dead.
Her new lawyer hopes to be successful in part by new rulings affecting standards for parole. They indicate that a prisoner should not be refused parole is he/she is not deemed a danger to public and the other deals with inmates who are between 16 and 20-years-old at the time of their crimes and holds that they are more likely to be rehabilitated. Van Houten was 19 years old when she commited the murders.
Her chances for parole are enhanced by the fact that she has been discipline free since her incarceration in the early 1970s, has positive psychological reports and has been active in self-help groups at the prison.
Well it seems to me that we hear lots of stories in the news of other murderers getting parole in the US and Canada. She has spent 40 years in prison while we hear of others getting out much earlier, ie Karla Homalka, who only spent 12 years in prison here in Canada.
I will admit that the murder of the La Bianca's was a horrorible crime for sure, but if all evidence points to her no longer being a danger, then why keep her in prison after 40 years?
We also hear lots of stories in the news about prison overcrowding and the costs associated with that, particularly in the US.
Even if there is a finding of suitability for parole at the hearing, freedom would not be immediate. The entire state parole board would review the decision within 120 days and it would then be submitted to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for a final ruling.
Van Houten, 60, remains incarcerated at the California Institution for Women at Frontera, the same prison where another Manson follower, Patricia Krenwinkle, is imprisoned. She has been in prison since the early 70's.
Van Houten was convicted of murder and conspiracy for her role in the slayings of the wealthy grocers, Leno and Rosemary La Bianca.
The La Biancas were stabbed to death in August 1969, one night after Manson's followers killed actress Sharon Tate and four others including celebrity hairdresser Jay Sebring, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, filmmaker Voityck Frykowksi and Steven Parent, a friend of the Tate estate's caretaker.
Van Houten did not participate in the Tate killings but went along the next night when the La Biancas were slain in their home. During the penalty phase of her trial she confessed to joining in stabbing Mrs. La Bianca after she was dead.
Her new lawyer hopes to be successful in part by new rulings affecting standards for parole. They indicate that a prisoner should not be refused parole is he/she is not deemed a danger to public and the other deals with inmates who are between 16 and 20-years-old at the time of their crimes and holds that they are more likely to be rehabilitated. Van Houten was 19 years old when she commited the murders.
Her chances for parole are enhanced by the fact that she has been discipline free since her incarceration in the early 1970s, has positive psychological reports and has been active in self-help groups at the prison.
Well it seems to me that we hear lots of stories in the news of other murderers getting parole in the US and Canada. She has spent 40 years in prison while we hear of others getting out much earlier, ie Karla Homalka, who only spent 12 years in prison here in Canada.
I will admit that the murder of the La Bianca's was a horrorible crime for sure, but if all evidence points to her no longer being a danger, then why keep her in prison after 40 years?
We also hear lots of stories in the news about prison overcrowding and the costs associated with that, particularly in the US.
Even if there is a finding of suitability for parole at the hearing, freedom would not be immediate. The entire state parole board would review the decision within 120 days and it would then be submitted to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for a final ruling.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Grim Anniversary for Family of Idaho Soldier Held Captive in Afghanistan
For the family and friends of Spc. Bowe W. Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, Wednesday marked 365 days of unbearable agony and anxiety. It's been exactly one year since the young soldier was captured by insurgents in Afghanistan, making him the only American service member known to be held prisoner by the enemy.
The community remembers Bergdahl, 24, as a hardworking, mild-mannered man who had a variety of jobs and activities as he searched for a purpose in life before he set his sights on the military.
Bergdahl signed U.S. Army paperwork in June 2008 and went off to basic training in Fort Benning, Ga. He was deployed to Afghanistan in February 2009.
His parents, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, came here years ago for a reason, neighbors said: The seclusion of the high sage hills that flank their place would help them live in peace and quiet. Bowe and his older sister, Sky, were home-schooled.
On July 2 last year, two U.S. officials told the AP a soldier had "just walked off" his base with three Afghans; four days later, the Taliban claimed "a drunken American soldier had come out of his garrison" and was taken by Afghan militants. And in a video released by the Taliban, Bergdahl indicated he was taken captive after lagging behind on patrol.
In one startling 28-minute Taliban video, Bergdahl, sporting a shaved head, tells a captor he fears never being able to hug his family again. The last Taliban propaganda video, released in April, showed him pleading for his freedom and to be returned home. But there is no way to verify when the footage was taken.
Well folks, I didn't know there were any coalition prisoners. I would have thought that the Taliban, who are famous for taking the heads off people, would simply cut off his head that would be that.
That he has been in captivity for a year is something. But here is a comment of this FOX news article by jthizzle:
"As a 2 time vet of Iraq and having served 9 years in the Army this is a travesty of reporting. This guy put down his weapon and walked away from his patrol and got captured. Do not compare this guy with the thousands of men and women who have died loyaly serving their country. This guy signed up as a volunteered and then abandoned his post, abandoned his comrades and has asked for everything he got. He betrayed his oath to his country and the Warrior Ethos and his brothers and sisters in arms. He is a coward, and deserves no attention on a major news network. How about reporting the stories of REAL heroes that have died fighting for their country instead of deserters. For myself and many of us in the military, we feel no regard for this guy. I feel more for his family then i do him. Maupin was a true hero, they cut the heads off heroes and obviously this guy still has his. Recognize a hero for what it is and a traitor for what it is. And tell the stories of the people who have given all, asked none and have taken the backseat to political BS and trading sensationalist news reporting for doing whats right."
Damn straight.
The community remembers Bergdahl, 24, as a hardworking, mild-mannered man who had a variety of jobs and activities as he searched for a purpose in life before he set his sights on the military.
Bergdahl signed U.S. Army paperwork in June 2008 and went off to basic training in Fort Benning, Ga. He was deployed to Afghanistan in February 2009.
His parents, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, came here years ago for a reason, neighbors said: The seclusion of the high sage hills that flank their place would help them live in peace and quiet. Bowe and his older sister, Sky, were home-schooled.
On July 2 last year, two U.S. officials told the AP a soldier had "just walked off" his base with three Afghans; four days later, the Taliban claimed "a drunken American soldier had come out of his garrison" and was taken by Afghan militants. And in a video released by the Taliban, Bergdahl indicated he was taken captive after lagging behind on patrol.
In one startling 28-minute Taliban video, Bergdahl, sporting a shaved head, tells a captor he fears never being able to hug his family again. The last Taliban propaganda video, released in April, showed him pleading for his freedom and to be returned home. But there is no way to verify when the footage was taken.
Well folks, I didn't know there were any coalition prisoners. I would have thought that the Taliban, who are famous for taking the heads off people, would simply cut off his head that would be that.
That he has been in captivity for a year is something. But here is a comment of this FOX news article by jthizzle:
"As a 2 time vet of Iraq and having served 9 years in the Army this is a travesty of reporting. This guy put down his weapon and walked away from his patrol and got captured. Do not compare this guy with the thousands of men and women who have died loyaly serving their country. This guy signed up as a volunteered and then abandoned his post, abandoned his comrades and has asked for everything he got. He betrayed his oath to his country and the Warrior Ethos and his brothers and sisters in arms. He is a coward, and deserves no attention on a major news network. How about reporting the stories of REAL heroes that have died fighting for their country instead of deserters. For myself and many of us in the military, we feel no regard for this guy. I feel more for his family then i do him. Maupin was a true hero, they cut the heads off heroes and obviously this guy still has his. Recognize a hero for what it is and a traitor for what it is. And tell the stories of the people who have given all, asked none and have taken the backseat to political BS and trading sensationalist news reporting for doing whats right."
Damn straight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
