Japan says they will not remove their troops, BUT

[SoCalDem]

Can you even imagine the public outrage that will follow if those hostages are killed?? I think they will kill them.. They have nothing to gain by releasing them, and recent events have pretty much shown that threats are carried out. I can see millions of people protesting if those young people are killed.. I must admit I am rather uninformed about the status of the Japanese leadership.. Can they be recalled/impeached/whatever??

They only have 500 troops there, and apparently they are rather sequestered anyway.. They were sent over the outrage of the public..

Our government pressured them relentlessly to send the miniscule "force" that they finally sent, and now 3 people will probably die.:cry:

[Bombtrack]

1. They shouldn't have ever gone to Iraq

And you seem to neglect to put any blame on the terrorists that are threatening to kill them.

The war did not need to be faught, but this kind of argument is really reaching to say that our government is directly responsible for the plight of these 3 people

[SoCalDem]

3. Um.... I don't think I said anywhere that our government

was responsible for them being held hostage :shrug:

And, I think that guerrilla would suit them more than terrorists.. It IS their own country after all, and they probably feel as if they are doing whatever necessary to "defend" their country.. (wrongheaded, but it's hard to talk rationally with zealots)..

[Submariner]

2. I wouldn't put it past the Iraqi's

to douse them with gasoline and light them off alive in full view of TV cameras. That is the effect I believe they know would turn off some supporters of the occupation.

The Buddhists lit themselves off regularly during the Vietnam war. It has quite an effect. Lets hope it doesn't happen, but this U.S. invasion may spawn that kind of evil.

[w4rma]

4. Killing hostages is bad PR and unethical. Hopefully they won't. (nt)