Posted on 06/04/2014 9:29:41 PM PDT by kristinn
An Obama administration official has floated the idea that Bowe Bergdahl was justified in deserting his platoon in Afghanistan and joining the Taliban over disagreements with the platoon's leadership.
Brandon Friedman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a series of tweets Wednesday evening in which he speculated that Bergdahl deserted over bad leadership of his platoon and that is why his fellow soldiers were smearing him.
"Here's the thing about Bergdahl and the Jump-to-Conclusions mats: What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership? (1/5)"
" What if he grew disillusioned with what he saw, didn't trust his leadership, and walked off? Legal? No. Worthy of sympathy? Maybe. (2/5)"
" If that were the case, the soldiers in his platoon would have all the more reason to smear him publicly now. (3/5)"
" Given other examples, it's not out of the realm of possibility--and more reason to withhold judgment until after an investigation. (4/5)"
" I'm not a fan of such speculation, but this story could not be more unbalanced--with so many premature calls of "traitor." (5/5)"
Friedman's Wikipedia page says he is a decorated war veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is a veteran of the Democratic Party front group VoteVets. He joined the Obama administration in 2009 at the Veterans Administration. He left in 2012 and rejoined the administration in 2014 at HUD.
This is from the Alinsky Handbook Rules for Radicals.Obamas purpose is to demoralize the military, define it as polotically incorrect, and establish his own civil military inside DHS. The left wants this done.
Fascists have always done this , both Mussolini and Hitler did the same to gain absolute non-democratic political control over the military. Imagine a leftist military without any Congressional oversight. The SS would be reborn.
Bergdahl disagrees with the government's role in a Taliban controlled country of Afghanistan and abandons his military post (not once, but twice), and abandons his fellow military soldiers he has sworn to protect (not once, but twice). He goes to the enemy with info on how the US government is conducting its war on terrorism in that country, sympathizes with the terrorists, teaches the terrorists how to play badminton and celebrates Christmas and Easter with them, teaches the terrorists martial arts so they can better defend themselves against his own military comrades. The search for Bergdahl by his fellow infantrymen results in the deaths of several of them (at least 6, some point to upwards of 16) and his rescue results in the release of five of the worlds most notorious and anti-American and anti-Christian terrorists and somehow he is labeled a patriot who served his country with honor and deserves sympathy for his desertion?
No. What we have is an anti-American, anti-Christian and and terrorist administration in office. Period.
Unbelievable, but true nonetheless.
Hey Brandon! Shut up your mouse!
Brandon Friedman needs a little of the disinfectant of daylight applied to his miserable views. His tweets need to appear in a regular mass media article with a call for his removal from any US government position.
This guy’s reasoning sounds straight out of many of today’s modern war movies like “Platoon” or “Full Metal Jacket” or “A Few Good Men”. Righteous soldier becomes disillusioned by what he sees in war and by poor leadership. Next thing you know they’re going to say his squad leader ordered a “code red” on Santiago. The low info voters might buy it if they’re paying attention. It’s sad to see them smearing heroes.
Kristinn,
As a guy who was in for 24 years, if I did what Bergdahl did every time I didn’t agree with leadership, I would have spent most of the time with the Taliban. Is this guy for real???????
Like my brother says: liberals want conservatives to shut up and conservatives should want the liberals to keep right on talking.
So tell me Brandon, if you would, would Bergdahl have gotten sympathy from his Taliban associates if he had decided to protest THEIR activities and leadership, or would he have been tortured and had his head cut off?
Good point. Thank you.
Obama, in His infinite wisdom, did the right thing with Bergdahl. It is just that we mere mortals are not capable of understanding the wisdom of the decision.
Let us all now bow our heads and pray before our Lord, our Savior and Master, Barack Obama.
At least Oswald waited for his military discharge to defect to the other side.
But just like Bergdahl (and his father) Oswald was a long time enemy sympathizer and while a Marine made a point to learn and speak Russian - earning the nickname "Oswaldskovich."
IMO Obama's "trade" not only freed 5 foreign terrorists but brought back to America a domestic enemy time-bomb.
“Obama Official: Bergdahl Worthy of Sympathy if Joined Taliban to Protest Platoon Leaders”
W T F???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whe have a Commander in Chief who EMPLOYS and RETAINS a person who is free to SAY this kind of thing? REALLY???
Well, this is going to go over like a wet dish rag....
Yikes! Your post just burned out my sarcasm detector!
(no link)
A veteran’s Web site with an attitude
Fayetteville Observer, The (NC) - Thursday, January 17, 2008
Author: Kevin Maurer
EXCERPTS
Iraq veteran Phillip Hunter Gilfus sees VetVoice.com as the modern incarnation of a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall.
Gilfus, a former maintenance officer, believes the site will serve as a common voice for the veteran, a place where veterans and active-duty service members can sound off about issues and concerns.
“No one is listening to the vet’s voice, but we’re the ones that have to execute your orders,” said Gilfus, a member of the site who lives in Fayetteville.
The site was created in November, just in time for primary season. The war in Iraq is a key issue in this year’s presidential campaign, and veterans are not going to be left out of the debate.
Iraq veteran Brandon Friedman helped create the site. He describes it as a pro-troop, pro-military site, although it is critical of the Bush administration.
“The editorial slant is not going to support his message,” Friedman said. “But, we’re not trying to pit the military against the commander in chief.”
Friedman served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division and is the author of “The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory and the Reality of War.” The book chronicles his time overseas and the frustrations he experienced.
Gilfus and Friedman said there is room for Bush supporters on the site.
“People in VoteVets are of different opinions,” Gilfus said. “It is not group think.” VoteVets, a political action committee and advocacy group for veterans and their families, is the parent organization of VetVoice.com.
Friedman said the site is a reflection of their frustration with the war and how it’s being carried out.
“They think this whole thing has been bungled,” Friedman said.
(snip)
Brandon Friedman comments
On President Bush’s veto of a bill delaying some extra pay and bonuses for troops: “Like a spoiled brat, President Bush - a known coward - has decided to throw a fit over a provision in th 2008 defense authorization because the Iraqi government objected to it. In doing so, he screwed thousands of troops and their families.”
On Sen. John McCain’s statement in New Hampshire that U.S. troops shoud stay in Iraq for a hundred years: “I imagine this will go over great with all the line units in Diyala right now. Saying something as stupid as this is easy for an old man who gets to sleep in a warm bed with his wife tonight.”
On Gen. David Petraeus’ comment that al-Qaida had turned to “mafia style” rackets to finance it operations: “Can we please stop calling these guys al-Qauda’ now and refer to them by what they really are: gangs of local Iraqi thugs?”
“They actually went there!” PING!
Silvie, can you send this to Chris Plante and the WMAL gang?
....about Bergdahl and the Jump-to-Conclusions mats: What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership?
You can make the same claim against the 0bama Executive branch
Deputy's Assistant Friedman, you worm ... the tweets that you provide to us really require the willing suspension of disbelief!
http://mashable.com/2010/11/11/veterans-services-social-media/
How Social Media Is Making Veteran Service Organizations Better
Nov 11, 2010
(snip)
Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have completely changed the way the VA and traditional veterans’ service organizations reach the new generation of veterans home from Iraq and Afghanistan -– and they’re finding that an increasing number of older veterans are connecting through social media, too.
“For years there’s been this stereotype, whether it’s deserved or not, that VA is made up of a bunch of faceless, nameless bureaucrats who sit around and don’t do anything,” said Brandon Friedman, the VA’s director of new media. “So in my view, the way to combat that is to put names and faces on everything. Not just so you can personalize it, but so there’s accountability — and people appreciate that.”
(snip)
VA Builds a Strategy
It’s a challenge that Friedman is well aware of as he monitors the VA’s sites each day and analyzes the statistics. By watching web traffic for the various VA websites, for example, Friedman decided it would be best to create a separate Facebook Page and Twitter feed for each of the 153 VA medical centers around the U.S., since people were searching for information at the local level.
“As a veteran myself, I understand why this is,” Friedman said. “When you live in like Texas or Nebraska or wherever, and you think of VA, you don’t think of VA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. You think of that big building on the other side of town.”
So local centers started joining the popular social networking sites last spring, after proving they had the staff and knowledge to do it properly. It’s Friedman’s goal to get all 153 up within a year, and they’re about a third of the way there with more than 50 on Facebook and nearly 30 on Twitter. Two or three new profiles launch each week, Friedman said. The demand is definitely there — a common complaint posted on the main VA Facebook Page is that a veteran’s local VA center doesn’t yet have a page.
With the main sites he manages, Friedman has been setting the standard for how VA employees can break through the long tradition of bureaucratic anonymity. He signs everything he posts, and each update on Facebook generates dozens of scattershot comments ranging from enthusiastic support to bitter grievances. Many of them are addressed personally to him:
“Thanks Brandon, where do we mail the form to?”
“Ya see how ANGRY so many Vets on here are Brandon?? WHY ya think that is??”
“Brandon, sounds like some good news for a change. Thanks for posting it! :-)”
“Brandon, you’ve taken on a big task …”
Friedman admits having his name out there so prominently is a double-edged sword, and it’s been harder to get other VA employees to identify themselves so personally. “I haven’t pushed it really hard because I can tell they’re very uncomfortable with it,” he said. “But they’re also falling behind, because we’re doing it, and it’s clearly a driver of subscribers and participation.”
Everyone involved says it’s too early to tell how much social media will help the new generation of veterans to get the care they need and benefits they deserve in the long run, but Friedman is confident that social media can create a cycle of accountability and confidence because everyone can see the conversation.
“They feel like they’re being listened to, they’re being responded to,” he said. “So whenever you help somebody, it doesn’t just help that one person — it helps build trust in your organization with everyone else who sees you helping.”
NPR - VA Still Under Pressure To Reduce Disability Claim Backlog
August 21, 2013
EXCERPT
BRANDON FRIEDMAN: The backlog has actually shrunk by over 21 percent since March. It’s very clearly a downward trend.
LAWRENCE: Brandon Friedman is a combat vet and former VA employee.
FRIEDMAN: Now, the problem is not fixed yet, but, you know, there’s no doubt that it’s on the right path. I think the aircraft carrier has really begun to turn itself around.
WTF
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