Swapping A Deserter For Five Terrorists? Great Move Barry !

U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a "prisoner of war" in Afghanistan, has been released back to the United States. Bergdahl was handed over to U.S. special forces by the Taliban in exchange for the release of five Afghan detainees who were being held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay. The negotiations were mediated by the government of Qatar.

The Taliban captured 23-year-old Bergdahl on June 30, 2009. According to soldiers in his unit, then PFC Bergdahl walked away from his post while on guard duty with only a compass, a knife, water, a digital camera and a diary. He had previously stated his desire to walk from Afghanistan to Pakistan or India. Oddly, Bergdahl was given two promotions while in captivity.

Some of Bergdahl's fellow soldiers are speaking out against the trade negotiated to bring him home, calling him a "deserter" for walking away from his base. Former Sgt. Matt Vierkant, a member of Bergdahl's platoon when he went missing, said, "I was pissed off then and I am even more so now with everything going on. Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him."

Nathan Bradley Bethea, who also served in Bergdahl's unit, wrote a piece for the Daily Beast describing how Bergdahl is just "a guy who walked off in the dead of night," and blamed Bergdahl for the loss of other soldiers who died while searching for him.

The five detainees released to the Taliban in exchange for the release of Bergdahl -- Khair Ulla Said Wali Khairkhwa, Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Norullah Nori, Abdul Haq Wasiq and Mohammad Nabi Omari -- are all mid- to high-ranking Taliban militants who had been at Guatanamo Bay since it opened in 2002. They were flown to Qatar on Sunday and must stay there for a year. 

Afghanistan's government protested the deal, as did several U.S. Republican lawmakers, including Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain said on "Face The Nation" on Sunday, "These are the hardest of the hard core. the highest high-risk people and others that we have released have gone back into the fight."

Swapping these five terrorists for a possible deserter is what makes the term "American Intelligence" an oxymoron.....

The News As I See It: Making a speech on economics is a lot like pissing down your leg? It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else.

Joe Biden aid that Hillary Clinton's decision to run for president won't affect his decision to launch a campaign. While Hillary says Biden's decision to run for president won't affect her becoming president.

This Date In History: 1886; Grover Cleveland became the first U.S. president to get married in the White House. 1924; Congress granted U.S. citizenship to all American Indians. 1941; Baseball great, Lou Gehrig died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS, a rare type of paralysis now referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease.

1946; In Italy, a plebiscite rejected the monarchy in favor of a republic. 1953; Queen Elizabeth II of Britain was crowned in Westminster Abbey. 1997; Timothy McVeigh was found guilty of the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. 2003; The European Space Agency launched the Mars Express probe. Contact with the lander Beagle 2 was lost in December.

Picture Of The Day: An army of one but with a hell of a back-up team.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) No matter how powerless you feel, just think to yourself that one single pubic hair off of your body can shut down an entire restaurant. 2) I enjoy long walks on the beach and that thing you just did with that banana.  3) My ex-wife's "Mom Voice" was so loud even the neighbors washed their hands and cleaned their rooms. 4) I bought a medical alert bracelet that says "I'm probably just shitfaced." 5) That is a banana in my pocket and I am happy to see you.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Gemini - June 2nd: Calm your social fears about dating and give Match.com a chance. How bad can it be when all these people lack the same social graces that you do and have to advertise for a date? By the way, the good news is it wasn't a bug. The bad news is that you beat the shit out of a black bean on the floor with your shoe.

Birthdays: Martha Washington, wife of President George Washington 1731, John Randolph, legislator 1773, Thomas Hardy, novelist 1840, Sir Edward William Elgar, composer 1857, Johnny Weissmuller, movie star and swimmer 1904, Barbara Pym, writer 1913, Cornel West, scholar 1953, Freddy Adu, Soccer 1989.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: Two old guys, one 73 and one 75, were sitting on a park bench one morning. The 75-year-old had just finished his morning jog and wasn't even short of breath. The 73-year-old was amazed at the guy's stamina and asked him what he did to have so much energy.

The 75-year-old said, "Well, I eat rye bread every day. It keeps your energy level high and you'll have great stamina with the ladies."

So, on the way home, the 73-year-old stopped at the bakery. As he was looking around, the saleslady asked if he needed any help. He said, "Do you have any rye bread?" She said, "Yes, there's a whole shelf of it. Would you like some?"

He said, "I want five loaves." She said, "My goodness, five loaves! By the time you get to the 3rd loaf, it'll be hard." He replied, "I can't believe everybody knows about this shit but me."

 In honor of the 44th President of the United States, Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream has introduced a new flavor: Barocky Road. It's a blend of half vanilla, half chocolate and surrounded by nuts and flakes. The vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient. The nuts and flakes are all very bitter and hard to swallow.

The cost is $92.84 per scoop, so out of a hundred dollar bill you are at least promised some change. When purchased it will be presented to you in a large beautiful cone, but after you pay for it, the ice cream is taken away and given to the person in line behind you at no charge.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: A blonde goes into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender fills the mug and slides it down the bar. It hits the blonde woman's boobs and splashes all over them.

The bartender goes over, retrieves the mug and licks the beer off her boobs. Each time the blonde calls for another beer this happens. So after the third beer, a guy decides to help the bartender out.

The next time the bartender hit her boobs, the man jumps up and starts to lick her breasts. She decks him! Lying on the floor moaning, he says, "Jeez, lady, why do you let the bartender do it and not me?' The blonde says, "Helloooo! He has a licker license!"

A precious little girl walks into a PetSmart store and asks, in the sweetest little lisp, between two missing teeth, "Excuthe me, mithter, where do you keep the widdle wabbits?"

As the shopkeeper's heart melts, he gets down on his knees so that he's on her level and asks,"Do you want a widdle white wabbit, or a thoft and fuwwy, bwack wabbit, or maybe one like that cute widdle bwown wabbit over there?"

She, in turn, blushes, rocks on her heels, puts her hands on her knees, leans forward and says, in a tiny quiet voice. "I don't think my python weally gives a thit."

That's it for today, my little billy goats. Remember, if you're a white guy and walk into Home Depot without wearing sunglasses on top of your head, legally, they don't have to sell you anything.

More on Wednesday.

Stay Tuned !