Idaho hometown of newly freed soldier cancels planned celebration

[Keefer]

Source: Yahoo News

HAILEY Idaho (Reuters) - The hometown of U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has canceled a rally planned for later this month celebrating his release from five years of Taliban captivity, a municipal official told Reuters on Wednesday, amid allegations that he was a deserter.

Heather Dawson, the city administrator of Hailey, Idaho, said town officials called off the June 28 event at the request of organizers because the town "will be unable to safely manage the number of people expected."

The decision came as the small mountain community was coming under mounting pressure to cancel the rally amid rising anger over claims by some of Bergdahl's former Army comrades that he had deliberately abandoned his post in Afghanistan.

(Reporting by Laura Zuckerman in Hailey, Idaho; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/idaho-hometown-newly-freed-soldier-cancels-planned-celebration-202815856.html;_ylt=AwrBEiKcg49T4QYAFcDQtDMD

---

Wow.

[villager]

1. "We decided that mere wolf-killing didn't make us disgusting enough, here in Idaho"

n/t

[StevieM]

6. Is Idaho known as a state that kills wolves in large numbers? I hadn't heard that.

I'm not questioning your knowledge, I am just not familiar with the issue. What makes you believe that this is a big problem in Idaho, compared to other places?

[villager]

12. Their governor takes a particular delight in it

It's a bigger problem there simply because there are more wolves attempting to locate there.

This administration's lifting of Federal protections for wolves has allowed a kind of open season on them.

[Keefer]

14. When I was stationed there

in the Air Force in the 1980's, they were bringing wolves in from out of state, trying to get more diversification.

[villager]

15. Well, "they" weren't the Republican party in Idaho, and remember, Federal protections have since

...been lifted, so now it's open season, as noted.

[Keefer]

16. I agree.

I was there 30 years ago. LOTS of things are different now, not just Idaho.

[villager]

17. Right. Our drift toward crypto-fascism is now overt, for one thing...

n/t

[valerief]

13. Where does Cheney do his face shooting? nt

[LoisB]

2. This is beyond sad.

[CanonRay]

3. What would these right wingers be saying if Obama had turned down the deal

and left him there to rot. They'd be screaming for impeachment, that's what.

[951-Riverside]

5. "Let them go! What are we doing holding these poor guys in Gitmo without trial?"

"Jesus Christ! One of our guys is being held while Obozo twiddle his thumbs and refuses to trade five innocent guys for one American soldier.

Impeach him!"

They would then finish it off with something about "We the people", "Chemtrails" and "New World Order".

[underpants]

4. Safety - they are worried about whack jobs whipped into frenzy

I was just reading several articles about the support he has in Hailey but every article turned to concerns about safety.

[TwilightGardener]

7. Free Republic has been posting phone numbers of town officials

since Sunday.

[KansDem]

8. True...

Imagine the al-Bundy terrorists riding their ATVs from Nevada to Idaho!



Next stop: Idaho!!!

[underpants]

19. You know KansDem

As I was leaving work I was thinking that there is a Cliven Bundy joke/twist in here. We haven't heard about Cliven and his band of ammosexuals in a while.

[KansDem]

21. Perfect!

"Ammosexuals"



Apt description.

[Politicalboi]

9. What a world

It may be too dangerous because of the right wing nuts. Does Bowe need to shoot and kill a black child to get some respect from these assholes.

[underpants]

20. Ooooh ouch

That was a guttural laugh

[The Blue Flower]

10. Seems like a good moment to repost this:

Please read it all. It appears that this really is what we are now.

http://www.stonekettle.com/2014/06/negotiating-with-terrorists.html?m=1

[mountain grammy]

11. Yep, that is really what we are now....

[freshwest]

18. VIDEO from Hailey, ID of a positive community opinion before this media cycle:

Who is Bowe Bergdahl? - Life of the U.S. Soldier captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Uploaded on Jul 22, 2009

HAILEY, Idaho - We are learning more about Bowe Bergdahl, the 23-year-old American soldier being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Since news of his capture was made public over the weekend, his friends in the Sun Valley, Idaho town of Hailey, have told ABC us that Bowe worked at a coffee house for a couple years, liked to ride his bicycle around town and had taken a class at the Sun Valley School of Ballet.

His family, concerned media descriptions of Bowe were limited to "bike riding, ballet dancing, barista," released more details about the life of their son Tuesday, through Walt Femling, the Sheriff of Blaine County, Idaho.

Sheriff Femling, who is a longtime friend of the Bergdahl family, called Bowe an adventurer. He said Bowe loves to ride both bicycles and motorcycles, but not cars. "He didn't like cars so he rode his bike everywhere," said Sheriff Femling.

He recounted how Bowe crewed a sailboat to the Caribbean and a fishing boat in Alaska. He toured Europe and California. "Not bad for somebody who is only 23 years old." He continued, "It's these adventures and others that made Bowe a very well-rounded person and I'm glad to know him." The Sheriff believes that Bowe's adventurous spirit played a part in his decision to join the military.

Bowe was good at handling guns and familiar with martial arts, and yet Sheriff Femling told us he was also a kind and courteous young man, "He would call you 'sir' or 'ma'am' and you know, to get a 23 year old these days to call you that is a little unusual."

As for education, Bowe was home schooled, but Sheriff Femling noted that he did receive his GED through The College of Southern Idaho.

Even though townsfolk had set up a fund for the Bergdahl family at a bank in Hailey, the Sheriff said the family discourages contributions. He explained that's not the focus of the family; they want prayers right now, not money. What's more, they ask everyone to pray not just for Bowe, but also for all of the men and women of the armed forces who find themselves in harm's way.