Fox analyst: Taliban should kill US soldier if he deserted
Published: July 20, 2009
Updated 7 months ago
Just a few months after he advocated for military attacks on journalists, Fox News strategic analyst Lt. Col. Ralph Peters is telling viewers that the soldier captured by the Taliban, now positively identified as 23-year-old Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl of Idaho, collaborated with the enemy by appearing in a Taliban hostage video.
Peters also said that the circumstances surrounding Bergdahl’s disappearance suggest he may have deserted his unit — and implied the Taliban should kill the US serviceman for that.
“We must wait until all the facts are in to make a judgment, but … he is an apparent deserter,” Peters told Fox’s America’s News Headquarters on Sunday. “Reports are indeed that he had abandoned his buddies, abandoned his post and walked off.”
Bergdahl disappeared from a base in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, and was declared “missing-captured” on July 3.
Peters said the video shows Bergdahl “collaborating with the enemy,” and added that it’s “not really relevant” that the private appeared on the video “under duress.”
Peters escalated his rhetoric when he suggested that the Taliban should kill the serviceman.
“I want to be clear. If when the facts are in we find out it’s through some convoluted chain of events he really was captured by the Taliban, I’m with him. But if he walked away from his post and his buddies in wartime — I don’t care how hard it sounds — as far as I’m concerned the Taliban can save us a lot of legal hassles and legal bills,” said Peters.
Peters’ suggestion caused Fox anchor Julie Banderas to remind viewers that “regardless of what the situation is, we do not want to see any US soldier in harm’s way, and we hope this guy gets out of there safely. He’s an American, he’s one of ours.”
Other military analysts have not generally agreed with Peters’ interpretation of the situation. Maj. Gen. William Nash told ABC News that “it’s obvious from watching the Taliban video that Bergdahl is under extraordinary pressure, psychologically and possibly physically.”
“The United States Army is not going to leave that soldier behind,” Nash said. “And they are going to do everything necessary and possible to get him back.”
That line was echoed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who vowed Sunday the government would “do everything we can” to rescue the soldier from Taliban captivity.
Earlier this year, Peters stirred controversy when he suggested that “future wars may require censorship, news blackouts and, ultimately, military attacks on the partisan media.”
This video is from Fox News’ America’s News Headquarters, broadcast July 19, 2009.
Download video via RawReplay.com
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Nothing suprising here. America hating foxnuts like Ralph Peters have been advocating for killing American soldiers for years. When they’re not advocating killing America civilians that is.
This is not the first outrageous blather to issue from this idiot’s piehole. Check out his Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Peters
He is one sick puppy (and therefore a perfect Fox Nausea ‘analyst’)
AIPAC’s bloodthirsty Neocon Propaganda.
If it is the Taliban…
And if they treat him well…
THE WORLD WILL TAKE NOTE ~
Ask yourself, which side is on God’s side and which side is on Satan’s side. When your leaders worship a giant owl in the woods of northern California it is pretty clear. When you leaders come from a college cult called “skull and bones” it is pretty clear. When your leaders lie about absolutely fucking everything, it is pretty clear. Spencer Tillman and Barry Jennings, RIP. Fuck you forever bush family.
Quick, shoot John McCain for cooperating with the enemy.
Funny… Peters doesn’t look evil.
Yes, he does look evil, and he also looks batshit crazy. Shame on Fox for giving toxic sociopaths like him a soapbox.
this soldiers family should be on CNN now…- demanding an APology from FOX NEWS ASAP!!!!!
more of that repuke style of supporting the troops on display at faux news.
that man is a pig.
Fox interviewed him before his meds had a chance to kick in.
i predict that the taliban will release him.
ralph peters needs an ass-whuppin.
Peters: “Fuck you” is too good for a slimy bastard like you. Oh how I wish your cohorts in the military would speak of your unblemished military record: not the written record, but the true deficient one which will always lurk in the shadows of your shallow denying consciousness.
So, if the soldier is killed by the Taliban, does that mean that Peters should be tried for the soldier’s death? He did, after all, say that he should be killed, right? Doesn’t that make it Peters fault if a death occurs? I say put him on trial for murder if the man is killed.
Lt. Col. Ralph Peters, Dick Cheney, George Bush- how we trade you pieces of trash for this one soldier? Lt Col you should be stripped of your benefits and status-you are completely unworthy to have ever worn the uniform.
Lt. col after 20 years. He was a shit bird who got passed over several times for promotion for crazy ideas just like this one.
Good point gypski. What a loser, no wonder he needs to $hill for Fox
This guy is indecency personified and it says a lot about Fox that they encourage his pronouncements. What he didn’t say but should have was: this is where our own immoral treatment of war prisoners such as Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, extraordinary-renditions etc. really comes home to haunt us. Perhaps the Taliban would act terribly no matter what, but there will not be much sympathy around the world for mistreated American POWs after the Bush/Cheney years. And that’s another reason we should never have stained our nation’s honor.
We had an illegitimate pResident start an illegal conflict( Congress never declared it a WAR even though all these news agencies that make fortunes in stock dividends from Halliburton, KBR, etc. continue to call it such) and are surprised when some of these kids see the light and have an epiphany and realize that they are only there in Afghanistan to protect the opium fields for our CIA drug cartel. Faux news was taking talking points from the Bush Whitehouse in order to sell this lie and now, even though the jury is not in yet, so to speak, their Faux contributer Peter’s is willing to sacrifice this kid. That is shameful, but then again, it is Murdoch’s Faux News Network.
“Lt. Col. Ralph Peters” - Haha, that douche. I’d never remember his name because he’s so unremarkable, but unfortunately I remember his face.
“The United States Army is not going to leave that soldier behind,” - Wow, that’s a really incredible gesture coming from a group of sociopathic retards that think rebuilding a school they helped bomb 10 or 20 years ago is an act of benevolence. It seems like the only concievable way they could rescue the guy without him ending up dead would be if it was yet another contrived drama designed to pull at the heartstrings of Americans that will surely go along with any new war plans that will save the dumbshits life.
If this war that got this young man over there was started illegally–it was–then maybe they should be talking about KILLING the lying fucking politicians who got him in this situation and got thousands of his comrades and innocent civilians KILLED!!!!!!!!! American justice is an oxymoron!!!
Before doing this, why not imprison the sack of shit birther soldier who refused to go to Afghanistan because he’s too stupid and racist to acknowledge President Obama’s legitimate presidency. That prick is a more disgusting case of abandonment of duty.
What the Birthers aren’t telling you is that Maj. Stefan F. Cook rejoined just so he could refuse his commission and file his suit.
And for the record, fuck you Peters. I’ll bet this shrill shill never experienced a minute of combat in his “illustrious” career.
This really shows people how low Fox has crawled, in order to get viewers…..its nothing but trash reporting. Sensationalism. Shock method. Say something shocking to get attention. They’ve been running for so long in the red that this sort of rag reporting is common for Fox, if you’ve noticed. Just like their shows. Trashy, dehumanizing. Reduce the value of humans to nothing and run shows to perpetrate this. Pre judge and treat a captured soldier like a throw-away-soldier. Why not? It gains attention. Creates controversy………..all contrived for your entertainment. At the expense of this soldier and his family, and the American people. They laugh at you. And they are part of what is taking this country down the toilet.
What Peters and the rest of these alleged military experts do not say is that American soldiers would not have to run the risk of being captured and tortured if they had been placed unnecessarily and unjustifiably in harm’s way in the first place in order to take part in the bogus war on terrorism.
It’s because they have stupid right wing warmongering assholes like this Ralph Peters appearing on their programs that I never watch FAUX Slanted Non News (non of my family and friends do either).
He never heard a shot fired in anger. His service consisted of living in Germany and working for the military. To serve 20 years in the military and rise no higher than he did, to me, indicates he was hardly a ball of fire.
Can someone tell me where this nazi Bastard got his CIB, that gives him the ‘Right’ to judge.
All this guy did was beat Rush Limbaugh to another brain dead concept.
FOX “News”. America’s news source for recalculating the lowest common denominator.
These creepy soldierbots are becoming tiresome. Get a new job Colonel. You and your ilk are worn out retreads who can’t give it a rest. I don’t want to hear his freaked out military speak. Buzz off misfit.
I’d like to restate what one poster already said: Peters never spent ONE SINGLE DAY in combat or anywhere near a front line and from that perspective the lowliest private in Iraq or Afghanistan has more credibility than him. When I hear his kind of bloviating I’m reminded of a line in of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
“It is a tale…full of sound and fury signifying nothing.” Indeed.
Doesn’t know what he’s talking about (obviously). Pre Vietnam, U.S. soldiers were instructed to RESIST interrogation. Big failure — almost everyone who’s captured is placed under agonizing duress, if not torture. And everyone who’s tortured breaks. It’s simple human nature. So post Vietnam, U.S. troops have been instructed to SURVIVE capture, not resist. The rule of thumb is: You’re gonna be tortured and give in anyway, so do it as soon as possible to save yourself. And that is not traitorous. It’s simple common sense. They now teach you to “crack” ASAP, break down, give in, show your emotions — which comes natural enough under such duress — in order to establish a humanistic rapport with your captors. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But drastic times call for drastic measures, and the military has completely changed it’s take on POW behavior.
Here is the # to call Fox News about this very disturbing story.
1-888-369-4762
Please call and let them know this is not acceptable. Then, please paste this # elsewhere and encourage others to do so.
Also, it would seem to me that there is some kind of law that has been broken here. Does anyone know of an attorney or Civil Rights group who may pick up the ball and run with this?
We cannot stand by and allow the calling for an execution of our soldiers by our enemy. This appears to be treasonous.
I hope some of you will take action and do a littlle bit more than just leave a comment.
Thanks for your time.
During Vietnam, I always wondered why the conscripted poor and lower class (You know, the ones who actually had to serve and didn’t get to choose college in the UK or 5 deferments) didn’t just turn and kill their CO’s the first chance they got.
After hearing this comment, I’m REALLY wondering..
The most troubling part is - I’m not even sure it’s wrong.
How do we know he walked off, he could have been grabbed from his position and rushed away. I guess peters should know that enemy can infiltrate a base every know and then. Especially if it’s a hastened base that was set up and this guy was on guard duty by himself. Also have many of you been paying attention to the amount of aircraft the US and contractors and british have been losing this month in Afghanistan. They say that all of it isn’t from enemy fire except the russian helicopter that was being used by a contractor. I think that they are trying to keep information from the the american people about the ramp up of the taliban abilities in the country. You see the Russians started to lose an aircraft a day when they where in the country.
I can’t believe that this man would think that he would just walk out from a base (which believe it or not the taliban has all bases surrounded for intelligence purporses to find a way in or for a target of opportunity). He was a target of opportunity and they took it. Hell he could have been ordered to go outside the perimeter by his sergeant to either get something or to set something up. When this first broke, the army said that he “walked off”. The only way they would know he “walked off” is that his immediate supervisor and his buddies told them he did. It’s not unheard of for soldiers to lie also.
Jhoffax
I am surprised that you are not aware that this is pretty much what did occur in Viet Nam as many enlisted personnel took to taking out their frustrations on being sent to fight in an unjustified war by fragging their superiors in Viet Nam which means that they would send fragmentation grenades into the tents of the lieutenants in their squad. What is amazing is that the military personnel today are not doing the same thing in Afghanistan and Iraq. One has to wonder why the enlisted today seem more prone to being brainwashed than those who, like myself, were in the military during the Viet Nam war.
Really? What kind of frequency are we talking about? I may have heard something about one particular incident.. but I wasn’t aware it was a wide spread occurrence.
And yes, I agree. I wonder that too. Perhaps conscription is the difference? They felt that signing on the dotted line committed them to this war, no matter how pointless or needless it might be?
hey there peters, little grey for a lousy lieutenant colonel, eh rambo? was john mccain your candidate last election? he was a collaborator too. three broadcasts from hanoi that I heard on dragon mountain in pleiku ‘68 … yea, maybe the cong should’a just killed him.
Wow, I’m speechless how dumb this guy is. I can’t even comment
Doesn’t he look like he should be out tracking down the A-Team before B.A. hit’s somebody again?
Fox analyst is suggesting the Taliban collaborate with the Army to kill our soldier to control legal costs!
Jhoflax
I also at one point thought that a military draft may have been a big difference between what happened in Viet Nam and the situation that is occurring in today’s military until I discovered in David Cortright’s classic work Soldiers in Revolt: GI Resistance During The Vietnam War that the majority of those who had participated in the GI movement during the Vietnam War were, surprisingly, enlisted personnel instead of draftees. So again, it would seem that if those in the military today had any semblance of a conscience they would begin to emulate in much larger numbers what the GI rebellion had done during the Viet Nam warby joining the IVAW [Iraq Veterans Against rhe War which would also include those who are opposed to the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan].
That is interesting.. Thanks for the reply!
How widespread was this revolt?
Here is the # to call Fox News about this very disturbing story.
1-888-369-4762