Current Event Three

Bowe Bergdahl Possibly Facing a Life Sentence in Military Prison
March 26, 2015

Bowe Bergdahl is a sargeant for the U.S. Army. In 2009, he was captured by the Taliban and kept for five years in captivity. He was treated brutally. He describes that he was chained to beds, and kept in a cage for extensive periods of time. He was also beaten and forced to watch Taliban videos. He didn’t have any idea where he was, and had no conception of time. Fortunately though, he has been brought back to Texas, and has been an inpatient in a military hospital. He is now on outpatient. We traded five prisoners that had Taliban-relations for Bergdahl. But there is still some murky water with the whole deal. First, Obama didn’t tell Congress about the prisoner swap, and which he technically “broke the law”. Also, Bergdahl is not going to have it all easy being home. The military is charging him with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Supposedly he abandoned his post in 2009 when he was in Afghanistan. He just disappeared from his unit, and let his fellow soldiers down. There is some speculation on whether or not he had enemy relations, but for now, all we know is that he is possibly facing a life sentence in military prison and will be stripped of his rank in the army.

Jaffe, Alexandra, and Ted Barrett. "Military to Charge Bergdahl With Desertion." CNN. Cable News Network, 26 March 2015. Web. 26 March 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/25/politics/bowe-bergdahl-charges-decision/>.

Current Event Two

Boston Bomber Found Guilty in Court
Wednesday, March 4, 2015


             Boston Bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has finally admitted to the horrific attack on the Boston Marathon. His attorney, Judy Clarke, spoke in an opening statement claiming, "It was him." Nearly two years ago, he was the man who placed the bombs near the finish line of the race, killing 3 people and causing at least 200 injuries, some people losing limbs. He got away initially after jacking an SUV, and was found later hiding in a boat in someone's backyard. His brother, and accomplice, died in a shootout with police officers when Dzhokhar got away. The trial though, is over why him and his brother did this. Dzhokhar is also on trial with 30 charges related to the bombing. Although it is a little unclear why he did this, he claimed himself as self-radicalized and claimed the "U.S. government is an enemy of Islam."(CNN) He also read magazines from al-Queda, and enjoyed listening to jihad songs and/or lectures. But there is also a dispute over why the jury was middle-aged white men. Well his attorneys concluded that they are the most likely to support the death penalty, which they are trying to avoid Dzhokhar from getting. Overall, Tsarnaev concluded that "We Muslims are one body. You hurt one, you hurt us all."

O'Neill, Ann, and Castillo, Mariano. "Tsarnaev Attorney: 'It Was Him'" CNN. Cable News Network, 4 March 2015. Web. 04 March 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/us/boston-marathon-bombing-trial/index.html>.