AMERICAN REFUGEES BATTLE TO GET OUT OF LEBANON

[tocqueville]

just saw a French TV report showing scenes of refugees climbing fences to get to the boats....











Shebbo, now in Cyprus, said she and her husband had struggled to get information from the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, and had found out about the boat from people in the United States. For four days, they inhaled the fumes from a bombed power plant two miles from where they had been staying.

Others echoed her complaints about the U.S. Embassy.

"The guard was so rude and said there was no evacuation plan, " Michael Russo, 23, of Tucson, Ariz, of his visit to the embassy. "On Wednesday and Thursday I asked them if there was a plan and they looked at me like I was crazy.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060720/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_fighting_evacuation;_ylt=Asnjnh0XEDrmFDpGrc1YbAwHcggF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--


HECK OF A JOB BROWNIE

[Sperk]

1. and they thought * only abandoned black people.....

when are people going to get it through their heads that this administration does not give two hoots about them?

[Swamp Rat]

2. Damn straight!

[Karenina]

5. I'm still waiting for it to really dawn on folks

that the *cabal that has seized the government and MIC considers anyone and everyone outside their tiny clique an ÜNTERMENSCH.

:hug:

[Swamp Rat]

8. Anyone who isn't fluorescent green... like alien money... is fucked

:hug:

[CottonBear]

6. Lebanese-Americans abroad are the new blacks. n/t

[MrTriumph]

3. US troops put in danger so businessmen can make tax-free $

Beg to differ.

The suggestion Lebanon in a house on fire implies the businessmen who went to Lebanon to earn TAX-FREE incomes were surprised by their circumstances. Baloney. War in the Middle east is NOT a surprise.

If they paid their for their travel into Lebanon, they could pay to leave. It was their choice to go there in the 1st place.

[tocqueville]

4. the 40 US marines are not in real "danger"

they are protected by a 1000 man French UNIFIL force and Lebanese Army. An Israeli bomb going astray is probably more dangerous than the Hezbollah. Besides you take care of your own, no matter what.

With that kind of reasoning, US citizens shouldn't go to Iceland, since a major volcano outbreak can happen anytime.

[MrTriumph]

9. Which is more likely: Volcano or Middle East war?

Get real. We all know the answer to that. The Middle East erupts in violence and war often.

BTW, your cavalier attitude about putting US troops in danger makes we wonder of you are a neocon adviser to President Bush. What nasty mission would you like them to undertake next, tocqueville?

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. But the May 2 2006 travel warning didn't mention danger from Israel at all

http://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=46555

If it had warned that Israel might start bombing the airport, making it unusable, or cities, or blockading ports so that you wouldn't be able to get out by sea, or bombing the main road to Damascus, then you might have a point. But instead it just warns about terrorism originating inside Lebanon. That's not what people are fleeing from now. It's Israeli bombs.

[MrTriumph]

17. Oh, no one reads the newspaper anymore, huh?

Travel warning or not, EVERYONE knows the Middle East is a hotbed of violence and war. Your head-in-the-sand defense of bad travel decisions does not work.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. Yeah, let's just listen to stereotypes

I mean, everyone says those Israelis might attack at any time, so I better avoid the whole of the Middle East? I hear you get shot in the USA if you ask for directions, so that's out for me too. Everywhere in Africa you get kidnapped and held for ransom. In Eastern Europe you get forced into sex slavery. In South America you get killed by drug cartels.

You really think everyone should write off entire sections of the world? Ignore the fact they have relatives there, or people wanting to trade with them, and say "ooh no, they had a war there once, I better never go there"? Why even bother with a passport? Better avoid cities too - I hear the crime rate is awful.

[MrTriumph]

21. So trade is more important than lives of US servicemen, huh?

"You really think everyone should write off entire sections of the world?"

YES, IT IS A COMMON PRACTICE. When an area is dangerous people avoid it.

"Ignore the fact they have relatives there"

Hey, cry me a river, muriel. It is not worth the cost of one American serviceman to evacuate someone who is off to visit relatives in a dangerous part of the world.


"or people wanting to trade with them...."

You are quite the Republican. Profit before lives.

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. And you are quite the isolationist with no care for his fellow Americans

Enjoy the "America First - In Fact, Only" attitude. I presume you've never held a passport.

[MrTriumph]

23. You have a "Trade First- Soldiers' Lives don't matter" attitude.

Next you'll use the Republican line that because we have a volunteer force that we can send them off to any danger at any time.

[tocqueville]

11. ALL troops there are in "danger"

but it is not likely that the Hezbollah will open a second front by attacking them (there are plenty of UK/French troops there already). They are not THAT stupid (at least not the guys pulling the strings in Iran and Syria). The only foreign troops "attacked" by "mistake" so far were French UNIFIL troops yesterday and it was by the Israeli. Remember the USS Liberty.

And my point still is that you cannot blame your nationals for being in jeopardy when the situation is unpredictible. Nobody in Europe is blaming their nationals (UK, France etc...) for being in a foreign country, specially when it has to do with double-nationality citizens. We don't charge stupid climbers rescued in bad weather when warned anyway. We don't charge people rescued at sea even if there was a storm warning. People expose themselves to dangerous situations more or less consciously all the time, they smoke, they eat too much fat, shouldn't they be cured ? People live in hurricane exposed areas : shouldn't they be evacuated free of charge ? THEY DO KNOW A HURRICANE IS BOUND TO COME SOMEDAY.

Society collects money to save them in the eventuality they get in harms way. And when the money is used to save them, we here get a feeling that society is FILLING ITS PURPOSE. I'm sorry, but the "frontier ideal" when everybody is on its own and "God" the only rescue, is not an European ideal, but I imagine that we disagree on this.

[MrTriumph]

16. I am not 'blaming' evacuees. But they are responsible for decisions

I am not 'blaming' evacuees. But they are responsible for decisions they make.

[zippy890]

7. Why is it taking so long for the americans to get out?

Do the marines WANT to become a target of a hezbollah rocket???~!!!!!
:tinfoilhat:

[tocqueville]

12. see post above nt

[zippy890]

13. I am really nervous about those marine warships over there

they sure are taking there time. The marines have a blood-feud with hezbollah since those 200+ marines were killed by them 20 years ago in lebanon.

a 'stray' rocket anywhere near those ships-*shudder* I'm sorry maybe I'm paranoid here, but this smacks of a set-up to me.

I'll be glad when all those marines are out of there.

[wordpix2]

14. I am really nervous about WWIII blowing up

[uppityperson]

15. thank you for the pictures

being able to pass on pictures helps people see, emotionally not just intellectually. Thanks.

[dogday]

19. He got his invasion of Iraq

that is what he wanted.....

[Catherine Vincent]

20. Any Lebanese rapper out there?

"Bush doesn't care about Lebanese people."