Well, Well...

Due to an overwhelming feeling of joy they forgot to thank their rescuers.

Unbelievable...

A Stunning Lack of Gratitude

On Thursday, 23 March, a multi-national military force rescued three Christian peace activists after 118 days of captivity. They were: Canadians James Loney, 41 (pictured at right), and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, and Briton Norman Kember, 74. The Loney family issued this press release:

“Oh, what a joyful day this is! We have just learned that James is coming home. He has been released unharmed, with his companions Harmeet and Norma. We would like to thank everyone for their support and prayers. At this time, we would also like to express our deepest sympathy to the family of Tom Fox. Please let us rejoice in this family moment as we prepare for the days to come."

Shortly thereafter, a representative of the Christian Peacemaker Teams, the activist group the three men belonged to, released a statement. Here is an excerpt:

“Our hearts are filled with joy today as we heard that Harmeet Singh Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember have been safely released in Baghdad…We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end.”

Released?? Who do these people believe released their loved ones? The insurgents? If it was not for the actions of a multi-national special operations team, this might not be such a “joyful” day.

The statement continues:

“Today, in the face of this joyful news, our faith compels us to love our enemies even when they have committed acts which caused great hardship to our friends and sorrow to their families.”

They declare love for the insurgents, who brutally murdered their comrade in cause, yet offer no gratitude to the commandos who risked their lives to ensure the safe return of the remaining three?

Stunning…

The Ghost of Stalin

Alyaksandr Lukashenka, or Batka (roughly translated as Daddy) as he likes to be called, Belarus' sorry excuse for a president, is up for "re-election" this month. (See the article in the comments section of this post if you do not have acess to the Economist online edition.) He was elected in 1994, a 1996 rigged referendum extended his presidency, and a 2004 fixed plebiscite modified the constitution allowing him to remain in power indefinitely.

And he intends to keep it that way.

Lukashenka, the former head of Soviet-styled collective farm, did not like what he saw in his southern neighbor, Ukraine, in fall of 2004. Too much orange for his taste. Since then, the regime in Minsk has tightened its grip on it citizens, ramped up its typically-Soviet, over the top, propaganda machine locally known as the press, and provided its judges with very specific instructions on how to handle "problems". As such, the Belarussian gulags are brimming with former "opposition" candidates (past and present), student dissenters, and wayward journalists just to name a few. Additionally, it seems the number of missing persons is escalating at a rather alarming rate.

And who said Stalin was dead?

The American Epidemic of Ignorance

I travel...a lot. Over the past five years, I have been to over 40 countries on 4 continents (to include the UAE and Dubai on over 30 occasions), and never, ever, have I seen such a highly educated citizenry (allegedly so, anyway) of a first world country like America attempt to speak so authoritatively on so many subjects while displaying such utter ignorance of the facts. The stunning self-righteousness which drives so many of these logically devoid views of so many of our fellow American citizens is just staggering. The Dubai ports deal is just one example. Our reasons for going into Iraq are another.

So, for all of you fellow citizens who have recently succumbed to this American epidemic of ignorance (and, unfortunately, there have been way to many of you) when it comes to Middle East policy and politics (and numerous other things for that matter), let me suggest some reading, something that many of you told me you do not have "time" to do. Well, both pieces are short and to the point, so you have no excuse.

Thomas Friedman hits one out of the park with his Dubai and Dunces piece (Just omit the second paragraph. He is misinformed.) and then follows it up with a perfect take on our current Iraq/Iran policy with America's Iran Policy: Iraq piece. (See the comments section of this post for the two article sif you do not have access to the NY Times online edition.)

Both should be required reading for all Americans who claim to have an informed, nuanced opinion on Middle East policy.

Let me put it another way...

Apply some analytical rigor to your positions, research them, and then back them up with facts. Parroted, partisan arguments do nothing but show your intellectual laziness and immense stupidity.

Unless you do your homework and bring something substantive to the table, stay out of the discussion. Making yourself look alarmingly ignorant does nothing, needless to say, to further your cause.