JAKE TAPPER, CNN: Fellow soldiers call Bowe Bergdahl a deserter, not a hero.

The sense of pride expressed by officials of the Obama administration at the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is not shared by many of those who served with him — veterans and soldiers who call him a deserter whose “selfish act” ended up costing the lives of better men.

“I was pissed off then and I am even more so now with everything going on,” said former Sergeant Matt Vierkant, a member of Bergdahl’s platoon when he went missing on June 30, 2009. “Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him.”

Vierkant said Bergdahl needs to not only acknowledge his actions publicly but face a military trial for desertion under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. . . .

Many of Bergdahl’s fellow troops — from the seven or so who knew him best in his squad, to the larger group that comprised the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division — told CNN that they signed nondisclosure agreements agreeing to never share any information about Bergdahl’s disappearance and the efforts to recapture him. Some were willing to dismiss that document in hopes that the truth would come out about a soldier who they now fear is being hailed as a hero, while the men who lost their lives looking for him are ignored.

Many are flocking to social media, such as the Facebook page “Bowe Bergdahl is NOT a hero,” where they share stories detailing their resentment. . . . Emails reported by the late Michael Hastings in Rolling Stone in 2012 reveal what Bergdahl’s fellow infantrymen learned within days of his disappearance: he told people that he no longer supported the U.S. effort in Afghanistan.

Well, that harshes the Approved Narrative, doesn’t it?

IN TENNESSEE, a fight over Supreme Court Justices. Not really on point here, but I think that under the plain language of the Tennessee Constitution, they should be directly elected. The present system, notwithstanding what the Tennessee Supreme Court has held, doesn’t constitute election by the people.

That said, the Tennessee Bar Association is basically just acting as a Democratic Party adjunct here. I’ve got nothing against the current Justices, but this is pretty transparently about politics, not about a disinterested judiciary.

MORE MCCARTHYISM, THIS TIME IN DETROIT: Public letter to Emma Howland-Bolton, teacher at Detroit public schools, regarding threats of violence and death by protesters under her organization.

As Richard Fernandez has said: “It is impossible to understand the politics of the Left without grasping that it is all about deniable intimidation.”

JOURNALISM: Mother Jones asks why ‘tank cars carrying oil keep blowing up’; Citizens point out the obvious.

DEAL: Amazon Fire TV and Kindle Fire HDX 7″ 16GB Bundle, $249.

EFFORTS TO SCRUB THE INTERNET OF A NAKED RACIST APPEAL FOR VOTES ON BEHALF OF JUDICIAL CANDIDATE SONGHAI “SUNNY” ARMISTEAD, USING BOGUS DMCA TAKEDOWN NOTICES have met their match in Patterico, who’s hosting the video himself.

NOT AS GOOD AS THE “HOUSE OF REPEAL” IDEA, BUT IT’S A START: Minnesota ‘Unsession’ Dumps 1,175 Obsolete, Silly Laws.

IN THE UT LAW ALUMNI MAGAZINE, I talk about how legal education, and law practice, are changing. My dean is a little disappointed because UT Law has been doing for years many of the things that some schools are now bragging about doing in terms of preparing students for practicing law. My comment: Everyone notices when you lose weight, but nobody notices when you just don’t get fat.

AT AMAZON, 20% off select Thule Carriers & Racks.

Also, up to 50% off on Energizer Lighting.

ROGER KIMBALL on what the law requires.

PHIL ROBERTSON takes the fashion world by storm. Wait, what?

Maybe it’s just that we’re all soldiers of fortune now.

YOU CAN SEE WHY PEOPLE JUST MAKE A DESERT, AND CALL IT PEACE: The American who dreamed of peace for the Arabs – but was murdered in their midst.

FASTER, PLEASE: Using Lasers To Heal Teeth.

MISSISSIPPI: Poll Shows McDaniel Leads Cochran By 2 Points. This is why I thought it was a mistake for the NRSC to be going after McDaniel so hard: He could easily be the nominee.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: How to tell someone’s age when all you know is her name. Unless her name’s Anna. Then you’re pretty much screwed.

AT AMAZON, Summer Deals in Pet Supplies.

Also, save up to $100 on Dyson Machines. Vacuums and more.

JIM TREACHER: HOW MANY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARIES DOES IT TAKE TO SCREW IN A LIGHT BULB? A: I would refer you to the Department of Energy for that.

AIRBRUSH UPDATE: The erasing of Maya Angelou’s experience as a sex worker. Doesn’t fit the narrative. (Via BoingBoing).

YUMMY, BUT NOT LOW-CARB: Grilled Cheese For Grownups.

I BLAME JENNY MCCARTHY: Measles Hasn’t Been This Bad in 20 Years.

HOW’S THAT “SMART DIPLOMACY” STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? Taliban Joyous Over Bergdahl Swap, Vow to Get All Mujahideen Released ASAP.

UPDATE: “What does that remind you of? Iran-Contra.”

DRIVERLESS: Lazy Humans Shaped Google’s New Autonomous Car. “Google came up with a new approach to its self-driving car project because humans trusted its previous prototypes too much.”

SCIENCE: The Inspiration for Mind-Control Conspiracy Theories Faces Its Demise. Well, they don’t need it now that Obama’s been re-elected.

CABLE NEWS RATINGS IN COLLAPSE. Hmm. That hasn’t happened to my blog traffic. But a few thoughts: (1) The problem is, the product sucks: It’s overhyped, underinformative, and tediously predictable as they chew the story-of-the-day apart. And it’s depressing. Perhaps a broader focus would be better. (2) All this talk about “the demo” and over-55 viewers being less valuable seems out-of-date. In today’s economy, those are the people with money.

SPYING: N.S.A. Collecting Millions of Faces From Web Images. Facebook is the greatest facial-recognition engine ever created. I wonder if you’d find the NSA’s fingerprints in its origins somewhere?