UK 'faces Dunkirk-style pullout' (in Lebanon)

[Barrett808]

The operation to rescue thousands of Britons from Lebanon could become the UK's largest evacuation since Dunkirk, a Foreign Office minister has said.

Kim Howells told MPs the UK was responsible for 12,000 Britons in Lebanon, 10,000 with dual nationality and some Commonwealth nationals.

Evacuations have already begun amid the worsening Mid-East crisis with 37 of the most vulnerable flown to Cyprus.

Mr Howells said "departure by sea" was the best option for future evacuations.

The Ministry of Defence said four extra Royal Navy warships had been sent to the eastern Mediterranean to help with a possible evacuation.

(more)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5186076.stm

[Skink]

1. Maybe some Americans can catch a ride.

[Oreo]

2. They're charghing Americans for their boat ride

Escape from Beirut

(CNN) -- The following is the text of a message sent out Saturday to U.S. citizens registered with the U.S. State Department as traveling to or present in Lebanon.

Message to Americans in Lebanon

The Department of State continues to work with the Department of Defense on a plan to help American citizens depart Lebanon.

As of the morning of July 15, we are looking at how we might transport Americans to Cyprus. Once in Cyprus, Americans can then board commercial aircraft for onward travel. Commercial airlines provide the safest and most efficient repatriation options to final destinations.

The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need. For the portion of your trip directly handled by the U.S. Government we will ask you to sign a promissory note and we will bill you at a later date.

In a subsequent message, when we have specific details about the transportation arrangements, we will inform you about the costs you will incur. We will also work with commercial aircraft to ensure that they have adequate flights to help you depart Cyprus and connect to your final destination.

The Department of State continues to work around the clock and will continue to send updates to you as appropriate.

[Minnesota Libra]

3. Otherwise American will have to pay to be rescued. Is that..........

....the lowest pile of crock you've ever heard or what?? New Orleans all over again.

[Benhurst]

4. What else would you expect

from The World's Only Superpower?

Anything for killing, nothing for rescue.

[Skink]

5. In Texas you can be fined for having to be rescued.

Bush country.

[BlueCollar]

6. in Texas

it's also legal for a hospital to pull the plug on a patient if the doctor feels that the patient cannot be revived against the family's wishes if they cannot pay for the care.

[Minnesota Libra]

8. You are effing kidding me right??? Let me see if I get this..........

....you mean to tell me that if the family can't pay for the long term care the doctor can claim the patient can't be revived and shut all machines off???? Is that what you are saying??? I really truly hope I totally misunderstood you.

[lumpy]

9. If this is the case ,then the medical

community has completely lost their clout and ethics.

[Minnesota Libra]

7. What??? Explain please??? I'm missing something here. nt

[theanarch]

10. i'm given to understand...

...this is all the rage in red-meat, conservative nanny states. If memory serves, Jeb (St. Theresa Shivo) Bush signed an order, authorizing the Florida equivalent of DYFS to pull the plug on a severely brain damaged--but conscious--six year old, over the legal objections of the boy's family. So, could someone remind me what the RW's objection to euthenasia was?

[tkadmin]

12. In Texas you can be fined for having to be rescued

Also in Arizona.  In places where creek beds or dry lakes
cannot handle a big rainstorm the place gets flooded.  The
only way you can get fined (not really a fine, you just have
to pay the costs to rescue you) is if you go into a place that
is clearly marked as flooded.

[Crayson]

18. Which is even worse

Rescue costs are much higher than a fine usually.

People, Material, Helicopters of all the TV stations filming you while you drown...
Sums up !

[mbperrin]

11. Heck, no need to pull out Murkans or Brits: from what I read,

these pin-point attacks kill nearly no one at all, and only those who have personally enlisted and participated in Hezbollah attacks on Israel. The Israelis certainly wouldn't kill US, right? Well, OK, there's that one Canadian family got wiped out, but they're just Canucks anyway, yeah?
After all, these are our best friends and allies in the world and * just said they're doing everything just right.

So relax and take another slice off that pig.....

[theanarch]

13. and drink a toast...

...to (the USS) Liberty?

[mbperrin]

15. Yep! Bottoms up!

nt

[IndianaGreen]

14. What a great, but unintended analogy!

The British were rescued in Dunkirk from the onslaught of the conquering German armies, that's what Dunkirk was all about!

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. Headline now changed from the hyperbolic 'Dunkirk-style'

(which was a very irresponsible bit of scaremongering by some subeditor at the BBC) to just "Britons preparing to flee Lebanon". Dunkirk was done under constant artillery and aerial bombardment aimed at the troops on the beach and harbour, with a ground army advancing rapidly on them.. It's really just that this is a big evacuation (though still about a tenth of the size of Dunkirk), but the word 'Dunkirk' hits the buttons of patriotic Britons, so it gets shoved in headlines however inaccurate.

[newscott]

17. Talk about over-the-top.

Dunkirk my ass.

[bennywhale]

19. I agree. Dunkirk was the biggest army and naval evacuation

in human history, and as you mentioned done under the advancing attack of the third reich. Also thousands lost their lives and thousands sacrificed themselves to 'cover' the evacuation.

To compare it with some tourists being shipped out is a bit ridiculous. However i think the idiot sub-editor just saw the fact that it would be the biggest evacuation SINCE dunkirk and got over excited.

Furthermore dunkirk evacuation was aided by civilians in fishing boats etc under the threat of Britain being occupied by the Nazis. The more you think about Dunkirk the further it is removed from this.