How To Compromise the Morals of the U.S. Government: Part 1

The troops are the true American heroes, not star athletes, movie stars, or business tycoons. It's the men and women who put their lives on the line for the red, white and blue. But the case of U.S Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has put that ideal on hold for the time being.

The White House, in an unprecedented move, essentially traded five extremely dangerous members of the Taliban for the safe recovery of Sgt. Bergdahl. We don't negotiate with terrorists, that's a hallmark of these United States. At no point do we ever stoop down to the level of radical members of terrorist groups and give them what they want. But this time we did, and what precedent is it setting? According to CNN correspondent Elise Labott, the Obama Administration says that no precedent has been set by this weeks actions.

To make matters worse, a litany of scandals has surrounded Sgt. Bergdahl which weren't anticipated by the Obama Administration. He has been accused of being a deserter. Leaving a note, and all of his belongings behind as he waltzed off base one night in 2009. Jake Tapper of CNN states that veterans claim his "selfish act ended up costing the lives of better men."At least six were killed in the search.

To make things worse, Tapper reports that soldiers in his battalion signed a "nondisclosure agreement... to never share any information" regarding Bergdahl. This doesn't sound an awful lot like the America we are used to. Soldiers are supposed to set the benchmark for humility, and be role models to their communities and country. And who really knows whether or not Bergdahl was conspiring with the Taliban? Nobody, speculation alone should be a red flag before executing such a risky trade.

Nobody is happy with the situation at hand. The world may indeed be worse off with the release of the "Cuban five," but what's done is done. Unfortunately though, this scandal has weakened the United States. We have compromised our morals for a person with no real way of backing up the circumstances of his disappearance. The public should be outraged. When we lose touch with our own values, (and yes, by we I mean the government in this case) who knows what can happen when put under a new kind of pressure situation... Only time will tell