US evacuation of Lebanon challenged in lawsuit

[donsu]

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/07/24/us_evacuation_of_lebanon_challenged_in_lawsuit/

An Arab-American civil rights group filed a federal lawsuit on Monday charging the Bush administration with failing to protect the lives of thousands of U.S. citizens trapped in Lebanon by the Israeli military offensive.

The lawsuit, which was filed by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, seeks an emergency court order that would compel the U.S. government to stop sending weapons to Israel as long as U.S. citizens are trying to leave Lebanon.

The group also is asking for an injunction that would force Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to request a ceasefire and an order that U.S. officials "increase their evacuation efforts and use all resources at their disposal," including more military transports and commercial charters

-snip-

The suit, which names Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as defendants, charges the United States mismanaged efforts to evacuate U.S. citizens from Lebanon after Israel launched a military offensive against the Hizbollah militia in response to the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers.

-snip-

The ADC said many of the thousands of U.S. citizens remaining are trapped in the south of Lebanon without a means of getting help.
-snip-
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one family spent about $20,000 to get back to US

[Nederland]

1. Yawn

Another lawsuit that will get absolutely nowhere...

[donsu]

2. you are bored?

nt

[Nederland]

3. No

I just wonder why people waste time and money on frivolous lawsuits like this one. And when I say "frivolous", I am not commenting on whether or not I agree with goal, I merely mean a lawsuit that is destined to get thrown out. Every citizen in Lebanon is there by their own free will and was warned by the State Department last November that this type of thing could happen. Given that they were warned and choose to stay, those bringing this lawsuit will be hard pressed to argue that the US government has an obligation to do anything more than it is doing.

[uppityperson]

4. may be thrown out but needs to be done anyways.

[donsu]

5. just how "official" was the State Dept. warnings? legally official or

p.r. talk?

[Nederland]

6. Response

Not sure what you mean, but here it is:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_948.html

[donsu]

7. I'm not a lawyer but it says US govt. workers who go to Lebanon on

unofficial business need the permission of their bosses. so apparently they aren't legally barred from going ??

[Nederland]

8. Correct

They are not legally barred from going, nor are they legally compelled to go. That State Department simply issues the warning and leaves it up to individals to freely decide what they want to do.