Will Bowe Bergdahl face a court-martial?

Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl has been handed a charge sheet, alleging that he deserted and engaged in misbehavior before the enemy; charges that could land him a sentence of life in a military prison.  The next step is an Article 32 hearing, the military's equivalent to a preliminary hearing.  Some liken it to a grand jury proceeding.  I don't find that accurate because grand juries meet in secret and unless there are issues involving highly classified information, Article 32 hearings are usually not done in secret.

Several of the members of Bergdahl's fire team have been outspoken about the need for him to be prosecuted for his actions.  I agree.  I also agree that the Obama Administration made bad choices for making it seem that Bergdahl's actions were heroic and that he served honorably.  Far too many men and women came home after serving with honor and distinction and their parents were not feted in a Rose Garden event.

Desertion is a crime.  Did Bowe Bergdahl commit this offense?  Time, and a court-martial, will tell.

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Imagine that you're in a major cash crunch.  Your hours were cut back, or there were unexpected bills.  But it's Wednesday, and you get paid on Friday.  You'll be fine then.  On your way home, the car breaks down.  The mechanic will have it ready the next morning but you're $250 short of the cash you need to pay him.  If you can't pay, you don't get the car back.  None of your family members or friends can or will help and those credit cards in your wallet are as useless as a perforated prophylactic.  What do you do?

You go to the nearest payday lender.  You write them a check for $300, post-dated to Friday.  They hand you $255 in cash.  You get your car back, and everything is fine.  Your check clears on Friday when you get paid and you are okay.  Until the next cash crisis.

You just spent $45 to borrow $300 for 48 hours.  These loans range in length (for the most part) from 1 to 14 days, and the annual interest rate ranges from over 300% to over 500%, depending on how long you borrow the money for, and whether or not you can repay it on time. 

Take the scenario above.  You are getting paid on Friday but the rent is due.  So you can't pay back the loan and pay the rent.  No problem.  Write a new check for $300 and they hand you $255 in cash again.  You're good for another two weeks.  It is the worst vicious cycle imaginable.  Repeat payday loans generate over $3 billion in revenue for this industry.

Time for government to rein this in.  It's fine for people to make money lending money.  Just not with interest rates as high as these.

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Random Ponderings:

The people who are whining that the MGM Grand company isn't going to let other hotel/casinos in Las Vegas show the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight need to just shut up.  MGM has every right to restrict an event they are spending big money on.

ISIS may have gone too far by moving into Tunisian land that hard-core Star Wars fans consider sacred ground (some of the filming for the franchise was done in this area).

With all of the problems in our nation, the Republicans in the House found time to pass a bill banning the watching of porn in federal workplaces.  Clearly their sense of priorities is seriously flawed.

Why in the world would Bruce Jenner think that his now ex-wife Kris would leave him in place as the executor of her advanced healthcare directive?  My ex-wife is the last person I'd leave in charge of that.

I want to see the scene in "The Breakfast Club" that was cut, involving an actress who isn't seen at all in the movie.  I just read her story and I bet that scene was great.

Now that her conviction will remain forever overturned, can Amanda Knox fade into obscurity as she appears to want to do?  I hope so.

NBC is bringing back "Coach" after an 18 year hiatus.  Not enough new ideas in Hollywood?

I hope the thieves that stole over $4 million and spent part of it on a luxury suite for Atlanta Hawks games enjoyed it a lot.  They got 13 years in federal prison for it.

Here are a few stupid food laws:

Gainsville, GA requires you to eat fried chicken with your hands.
Maryland won't let you convert oyster shells into lime or construction materials, without permission in advance.
Concord, MA forbids the sale of single use plastic water bottles.
Wyoming bans fishing with firearms.
Wisconsin state prisons must serve real butter, no margarine allowed.

Yes, it makes sense that the fans of the Buffalo Sabres wanted their team to lose a game against the Arizona Coyotes.  It has to do with staying in last place and improving their lottery pick odds.  But you don't cheer for the opposition.  I want the Lakers to lose every game between now and the season's end, but I wouldn't root for their opponents were I to be at Staples.

That airlines didn't have to have two people in the cockpit at all times is frightening.

The first U. S. cent ever made sold at auction for more than $1 million.  The power of the penny indeed!