Is it true that the US is charging citizens for their evacuation

[cantstandbush]

from Lebanon? Is that what I heard on Lou Dobbs tonight? My head is spinning.

[Atman]

1. Yes.

But, if you don't have the cash, the government will allow you to go after signing an IOW.

Seriesly. You heard correctly. I am not making this up, sad to say.

[Pirate Smile]

2. Yep.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1655955&mesg_id=1655955

[journalist3072]

3. I believe you heard correct. That's what I heard on the evening news. eom

[cal04]

4. here's an article from MSNBC

Joanne Nucho finished packing in the early morning hours Tuesday. Nucho, a student at American University in Beirut, said there was talk that Americans would have to pay a $300 evacuation fee, not be allowed to take laptops or cameras and be left to sleep on the streets of Cyprus.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13902115/
and if that wasn't bad enough
Official: Operation costs more than available resources; 64 have left so far

[Ken Burch]

15. No Laptops or Cameras? Interesting

What are pictures are the evacuation authorities afraid that evacuees will bring back?
(P.S. they will let you bring the film or video that was IN the camera back, won't they? Not sure how they could prevent that...)

[Atman]

21. I made the same observation, but consider this...

Maybe they're worried about the electronic devices being used to set off remote control boomy things. Although I thought cell phones were the preferred choice for that. I dunno...just trying to find some sort of logic in this.

[C_U_L8R]

24. No cameras or laptops !!! What BS !!!

Typical creepy censorship from this fascist
republican regime that is CLEARLY out of control.
These thugs need to be RIDICULED... often.

I CANNOT believe the Repukes even dare to enact
something so stupid and so unAmerican. YIKES
Republicans are WORSE than Nazis. Let me say that again.
Republicans are WORSE than Nazis....

[IndianaGreen]

5. Yes, $300 to get out without pets or laptops, and only a tote bag

The French were not charged anything by France, and they were able to take suitcases of their stuff.

And we mock the French!

[Pirate Smile]

8. The French already got 50 or so Americans out. One American they

talked to on CNN who got out on the French ferry was not exactly impressed with her her home Country.:eyes:

[Sal Minella]

10. Can't remember who said, Every civilized man has two countries,

his own and France.

[pitohui]

6. why wouldn't it be?

any time you are evacuated from a foreign country, you have to pay if you don't have evacuation insurance

[uppityperson]

7. dang-nab-it, I knew I forgot SOME insurance.

After all, you didn't expect your tax dollars to go to help anyone you know, did you?

[pitohui]

17. well i don't hold my breath much this time of century, to be frank

they always fill you up w. scare stories that it will cost $50,000 to repatriate even just your dead corpse, so you're supposed to buy the insurance and it's pretty cheap, $25 or so, but i usually don't buy it anyway

i was on a tour w. an old boy, maybe abt 90, who said if he died just to push him off the side of the mountain and not bother his wife w. the paperwork!

he did not actually die and cause us to test this theory tho

[hopeisaplace]

13. lol, "evacuation insurance"

The first dual purpose insurance:

In case you can't poop.
In case you're in a country under attack.

:spank: :silly: :crazy: :think: :patriot:

[C_U_L8R]

9. does that go to some republican re-election fund ???

cause they're gonna need it

[serryjw]

11. I want my mommy!

n/t

[azurnoir]

12. And I thought I couldn't be shocked anymore!!!! n/t

[RB TexLa]

14. I think this has always been the policy.

The government doesn't have the responsibility to evacuate you from some place you chose to go.

[pitohui]

19. i actually think so too

the state dept. actually has an entire website that seems dedicated to discouraging you from going anyplace by filling you up w. scare stories and warning you that they WON'T help if you get into trouble

i often wonder what a website to give traveler's warnings would say abt the usa, i do hear from the australians that they regard the usa as one natural disaster right after another, which i guess is technically true what with all these fires and hurricanes

[cantstandbush]

23. They do when they are largely responsible for causing a conflict

that is holding you hostage. But just on the face of it, if most of these citizens were not Lebanese-Americans whould the US be doing this? We bombed an entire little nation to get US students out of non-harms way save for our own bombs and used our military to do it. (Grenada) Did we charge the students?

[Sugarcoated]

16. It always comes down to $$$ with these RW thugs.

[Sugarcoated]

18. CNN's doing a story about it right now

One woman says she's feeling abandoned by the US.

[pitohui]

20. well imagine how my friends in chalmette felt

they had to be rescued off their rooftops by the damn city of vancouver because the usa was nowhere to be found

vancouver is all the way in western canada, and they knew st. bernard parish was drowning, but fema claimed later they didn't know there was a problem because there was no communications from the parish!

hello, it was underwater, of course there was no communications

[Nikki Stone 1]

22. The privatization of evacuation during a war?

Absolutely insane!