Bergdahl Questions Raised: Is this a Script?
Like many other military hero narratives released by the White House and Pentagon over the years, the Bergdahl story on its surface is one of war and warriors, sacrifices, and duty. And, like other hero narratives, the more that is revealed of the tale, the more head-scratching and question-raising goes on.
This all began in 2009 when US Army soldier Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, serving in Afghanistan, disappeared from his unit. He was held captive for years by the Haqqani network, a Taliban ally, and several US soldiers died searching for him. It was alleged he had deserted due to his sympathies for the Afghanis and his discontent with the war. Dr. Sebastian Gorka writes for Breitbart.com that “According to his friends and those that know him, Bergdahl joined the military in order to help the Afghan people and provide "philanthropic support to the war effort." However, other sources report that he was taken while using the latrines, and he’s also alleged to have become separated during a patrol.
What is the truth?
What President Obama may have assumed would be a patriotic ‘hero story’ instead turned controversial quickly when it was revealed that Sgt. Bergdahl had been swapped in a prisoner trade. Bergdahl was returned for the release of 5 Guantanamo prisoners – dubbed “the hardest of the hard core” by Senator John McCain. Not only was this move done without giving the lawfully required 30-day notice to Congress, according to Infowars.com, it also “sets a price for every captured American service member in the Middle East. This exchange is eerily similar to a “spy swap” between two countries.”
Like Father, Like Son?
In an even stranger turn however, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s father, Robert Bergdahl has taken the stage in dramatic fashion.
Jason Howerton writes for TheBlaze.com:
“In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate.”
That’s the simple phrase that Robert Bergdahl, father of freed Army Sgt. Bow Bergdahl, said in Arabic at press conference with President Barack Obama on Sunday. The father proceeded to speak in Pashtu, also known as Afghani, because he said his son might have difficulty understanding English after five years in captivity.
The phrase “bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim” is a common Arabic phrase, considered by some to be a major pillar of Islam and featured prominently in the Koran.
So why did Robert Bergdahl use the phrase? Exactly what message was he trying to send?
That’s the debate that’s currently raging on the Internet, with some alleging that the father was “claiming” the White House for Islam and others downplaying it as a very common, innocent phrase. Meanwhile, many people are simply struggling to understand why he chose that specific phrase and if there is more significance to it than meets the eye.
Independent Journal Review’s Kyle Becker speculates, “There may be an unknown explanation for why Robert Bergdahl might say this at the press conference. It may have been another ‘condition’ of his son’s release; yet, we can’t know that because Obama made the deal unilaterally and illegally, since he did not consult Congress.”
Clare Lopez, a former CIA operations officer and senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy, claimed in a controversial post that Robert Bergdahl “sanctified the WH and claimed it for Islam” by saying the phrase at the press conference.
Five years in captivity and the son has forgotten how to speak English? Not likely.
Here’s President Obama’s immediate response to the Islamic quotes during the press conference:
Robert Bergdahl sporting a long beard, learning the Pashto language, and ‘sanctifying’ the White House are strange under the circumstances, but critics of the Bergdahl story also raise the issue of the father’s controversial public statements on Twitter.
From MailOnline:
Just a few days before his son was released in a trade for five Guantanamo detainees, Mr Bergdalh tweeted at a Taliban spokesman saying, ’I am still working to free all Guantanamo prisoners.’
’God will repay for the death of every Afghan child, ameen.’
[..]In March, he wrote, ’"Democracy" is a cult in the West’ in response to a comment about the Afghan elections.
He also raised eyebrows when, in a pres conference, he said the family’s hometown of Hailey, Idaho, ’We’re so much like Afghanistan.’
In a 2011 video message to Bowe’s captors, Mr Bergdahl said: ’Strangely to some we must also thank those who have cared for our son for almost two years.
’We know our son is a prisoner and at the same time a guest in your home.’
Is this a man trying to protect his son, or is it something more?
The Manchurian Candidate
Certainly it’s been pointed out that this narrative echoes scenes from the TV series “Homeland”, with MediaITE.com underscoring the consistencies:
Well, on Tuesday afternoon the analogy roared into the mainstream during the opening of MSNBC’s The Cycle. Host Krystal Ball reviewed the latest details to emerge from the Bowe Bergdahl story before using the Homeland connection to make the story just that much more relatable for viewers.
“For the generation of Americans who have come of age during the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Persian Gulf, in a lot of ways our only experience with a war on terror POW is through the Showtime series Homeland,” Ball said. She explained that on the show, the character of Nicholas Brody is celebrated as a “hero” when he returns from eight of captivity and “struggles to adjust back to daily life.” For anyone who has seen the show, that’s a bit of an understatement.
“The storyline then shifts to speculation that Brody might not be the hero the fictitious U.S. military says he is,” Ball continued. “Now clearly, Bergdahl is not a Jihadi sympathizer looking to assassinate the vice president,” she added, as the photo of Bergdhal and Brody side by side appeared on the screen. “But many Americans are using Homeland as a frame for helping them understand what Bergdahl will face returning home to daily life.”
Is it all calculated – scripted? Has someone been mind controlled here? And if so, is it the son in captivity, or the father back in the States? Some question Robert Bergdahl’s state of mind, suggesting he’s suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
Spies Like Us
More importantly, will this narrative be used for purposes of terrorism? In this story, not only have 5 terrorists been released back into the wild (undoubtedly after notorious ’Gitmo treatment’ and retaining no love for the United States), but also the all-American soldier’s allegiances and motives are up for speculation, in addition to the father’s behavior. Will they be used as threats down the road? Is Bowe Bergdahl one of the "White" Al Qaeda" in the making?
According to ObamaCSI.com, the “White Al Qaeda’ myth was first introduced back in 2008. This was the first major attempt by the U.S. government and the mainstream media to link white people with alleged Islamic terrorists”. With scary reports of the US’s “Jihad Jane” and the UK’s “White Widow”, the threat is no longer ‘over there’, but it is now white and homegrown and the only way to stop it is to increase the security state and crack down on freedoms.
Infowars writes:
Recent statements by Bergdahl’s father – as well as his mannerisms – also suggest that Bergdahl was trained by an intelligence agency to penetrate the Haqqani network under deep cover.
For one thing, it’s puzzling that Robert Bergdahl, Bergdahl’s father and an Idaho resident, can speak Pashto, one of the official languages of Afghanistan, considering that the State Dept.’s Foreign Service Institute considers Pashto one of the most difficult languages for an English-speaker to learn, especially without immersion in a native environment.
Both the FSI and the Pentagon’s Defense Language Institute are likely the two best sources for Pashto course material for native English speakers.
Nobody sane wants war and suffering. Everyone wants their sons, daughters and family members to come home from war. But questions must be raised and such tidy hero narratives must be challenged in the search for truth and the protection of freedoms.
By Red Ice Creations
