Once again the obstructionist Republicans whose sole role in government is to discredit President Obama have now used the trade of Bo Bergdahl as the latest political tool to criticize the president. Not surprising at all. They will use anything, even tragic events such as Benghazi, to gain what they think is political advantage.

McCain was for the exchange before he was against it, a clear case of political amnesia.

The ongoing events in Iraq since Bush/Cheney led illegal and immoral invasion point out how hypocritical the war mongering Democrats and Republicans really are. To take people such as Mr. Bergdahl, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, John Kariaku and all the other brave whistleblowers to task is the opposite of what should be done. These people and all who buck the system and say no to atrocities are brave people, not traitors. It is far easier to turn a blind eye to illegal acts committed by the military, come back, retire and live out a comfortable life.

Just look at what these brave souls are suffering now, Manning in jail for 35 years, Bergdahl captured, tortured and imprisoned (sometimes in a cage) for five years, Kiriaku nearly bankrupt and in jail for many more months, Assange isolated in the Ecuadorian embassy in London and Snowden marooned in Moscow.

Do you not think it would have been less perilous to simply ignore the illegality that they witnessed?

I know military people insist that rules must be followed and dissent will not be tolerated unless it is put through the proper channels, but those channels have been found to be very deficient when one is attempting an honest exposure of wrongdoings. If more people had the courage not cowardice to resist we would have fewer wars and less atrocities in those wars.

Some may have heard the irrational rants of Joe Scarborough when reporting on the Bergdahl release and what he had written to his parents that exposed the awful acts being committed by the military in Afghanistan including watching a child be run over by a military vehicle. In that email he said he could no longer be a part of it.

Scarborough lashed out at Bo's parents saying that his father should have told him to get back to his unit and act like a man. I wonder if those who have cracked under pressure and shot and killed fellow soldiers were given that type of advice if they reached out to families.

Do you not think a more appropriate response would be to contact someone to get help for the person undergoing that stress to prevent a total breakdown?

I personally think Bo's father is to be commended for learning Pashto and growing a beard in an attempt to show some humanity towards his son's captors by at least making an attempt to alleviate some of the torture.

Taking a hard inflexible line rarely accomplishes anything positive. We only have to look at the insanity occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan for proof of that.

We need more dissent not less if we are to ever have any semblance of peace in the world.