[amphibian]

It's pretty clear from the accounts and the more research-intensive articles I've read that the younger Bergdahl was not in a good situation mentally or socially when he left the base and basically purposely handed himself over to the Taliban/joined up with them.

That being said, I don't think he wanted to spend the best part of five years with them and if he wanted to come home and was being held against his will, the United States does have an obligation as a country and as his former military employer to get him back - even if it means exchanging a handful of prisoners who were/are mid-level terror squad organizers to Bergdahl's captors.

Calling for Bergdahl's execution is beyond stupid. However, he did desert his post. I don't think that should be excessively punished here, as it's pretty clear it was related to his mental health - and is something should be addressed with mental health counseling and a dishonorable discharge.

The structures and practices in place that led to Bergdahl deserting successfully are more deserving of condemnation than he is. The Republican wing-nuts or even the main body (and many of the Democrats and other politicians also) have zero interest in addressing these issues or making sure that the people who put those abysmal chains of events and policies into place don't get to do that again. They cannot turn the withering/corrosive scorn upon themselves at all.

[worry]

All true. Also, all groove-messing rather than making me "happy right now"!

[Illuyankas]

If it's anything like that the soldier who deserted and was captured by North Korea for decades before being jailed 30 days on desertion charges (which completely coincidentally is the same amount of time as it took to process his return) they'll probably count his imprisonment as punishment enough. Todd Kincannon is trolling scum, though.

Incidentally the figure of six soldiers killed looking for Bergdahl is denied by the Pentagon as extremely unlikely and seems to be taken from the number of casualties that area had during the entire month he deserted in. Also the people the US released were all due out in about 7 months anyway, and Cruz is so awful that if the power cut out during a Senate meeting, the only question would be how many stab wounds his corpse would have when the lights turned back on, and he is never getting into real power.

[Tiste Simeon]

I thought that Todd Kincannon was a parody/troll account. Turns out it is real. Terrifying.

[amphibian]

Tisteon Simeonus, on 04 June 2014 - 11:30 PM, said:

I thought that Todd Kincannon was a parody/troll account. Turns out it is real. Terrifying.

It makes me happy that you thought it was a parody. That means you, a police officer (I think), still believe in the essentially good nature of most people. That's heartening.

Thanks Tiste.

[Gwynn ap Nudd]

Tomorrow is going to consist of a road trip through majestic scenery, tramping in the woods and hanging out by and taking a dip in a beautiful lake. All on what is supposed to be a glorious sunny day and I'm getting paid overtime to do so.

[Ukjent]

Fuck yeah done with my bachelor and now I just got to wait and see if I got the grades to a master.

[Mezla PigDog]

I went to a symposium today on how to translate UK space technology into new innovations in Healthcare and medical devices. It was really cool.

I'm not sure what I think about the alleged coming revolution in iHealth - using phones, apps and consumer devices to track key biometrics throughout peoples lifetimes to predict diseases that have lifestyle factors. Combined with genome sequence knowledge the whole personalisation of healthcare is going to become a mixture of awesome and terrifying......

[Modest Learner]

What's making me happy right now??

Umm...remaining 60 holidays.

[Puck]

Mezla PigDog, on 05 June 2014 - 04:19 PM, said:

I went to a symposium today on how to translate UK space technology into new innovations in Healthcare and medical devices. It was really cool.

I'm not sure what I think about the alleged coming revolution in iHealth - using phones, apps and consumer devices to track key biometrics throughout peoples lifetimes to predict diseases that have lifestyle factors. Combined with genome sequence knowledge the whole personalisation of healthcare is going to become a mixture of awesome and terrifying......

Sounds terrifying and, indeed, groove messing. What if I am forced to work jobs that don't allow the lifestyle that would prevent this and that? Eh? If the implications of that technological possibilities are followed through, not being able to afford that will result in having to pay MORE for, say, healthcare than people who can afford the 'good' lifestyle. I can't afford healthcare as it is. These new apps and whatnot TERRIFY me.

But that's the wrong thread. Making me happy is.. uh.. tea. I have tea. Also, thinking about people important to me makes me more motivated and happy.

This post has been edited by Puck: 05 June 2014 - 05:50 PM

[Dolmen 2.0]

Dresdencrack

[Macros]

this, legend

[High House Dark]

Met a wonderful person last Sunday

aaaaaaaaaaaand we've been fucking like rabbits already, making me very very very happy.




..........y'all know by now that when i'm writing in small font, it's definitely TMI.

[worry]

Kids these days! Back in my day we made love like rabbits. More specifically, like Jessica Rabbit. I guess what I mean to say is we played patty cake. But lovingly. And a lot. Come to think of it, we never did have children and I'm the last of my line. Never occurred to us to do anything else. But now Martha's in the grave these 30 years come December. So I guess that's it. The end of us. Huh, go figure.

[Gnaw]

Saturday night 'gonna get you some' or Saturday night 'took the weekly shower'?

[Puck]

There's a storm outside and that is AWESOME. Wish I could open the window and let the air in, it's been 35°C and humid as hell for days! But my desk is heaped with uni stuff, so eh, no open window for me.. Still, storm! Fresh air!

[Ukjent]

35°C.. Damn I'm its about 12 °C here.

[Solidsnape]

Herself just phoned the local taxi company to complain about our Sky going off.
She actually got through her first line, before being told that she had the wrong number.
She's still laughing now.
And she wonders why I've never put a ring on that finger....

[Gothos]

The SE Q&A made me think ever so briefly back to Dust of Dreams and The Crippled God and... it's all here inside. Sometimes I just forget how ball-shittingly brilliant the Malazan books are, how insolently ambitious, how galling the authors' design. It's like today I had a shift of perspective - I used to think of the Malazan books as:
GotM - DHG - MoI is the main course, then some other stuff happens, and now it's like someone switched the light on and now all the books' storylines are relentlessly clicking into place. And I'm finding myself sinking in it. I can feel a full reread of books 4-10 incoming...

[worry]

The Onion's take on Buzzfeed/Upworthy type sites went live today. Five gold stars: http://www.clickhole...-good-point-264

But then also there's this: http://www.theonion....-figures,36266/