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Kayla Mueller an American human rights activist and humanitarian aid worker was kidnapped from Syria in August 2013, yet travel warnings for Syria were issued in Jan 2012 by the United States department. Why should it be the United States governments responsibility to attempt to rescue people who place themselves in harms way?
In the new article above, is says "President Barack Obama had stressed that the U.S. was deploying "all assets" to save Mueller.". Why? just because she is an American Citizen? Why is it the United States government's problem every times some adventurer strays too close the the North Koren boarder or some aid worker ignores travel warnings and is kidnapped in a hostile country?
Kayla Mueller an American human rights activist and humanitarian aid worker was kidnapped from Syria in August 2013, yet travel warnings for Syria were issued in Jan 2012 by the United States department. Why should it be the United States governments responsibility to attempt to rescue people who place themselves in harms way?
In the new article above, is says "President Barack Obama had stressed that the U.S. was deploying "all assets" to save Mueller.". Why? just because she is an American Citizen? Why is it the United States government's problem every times some adventurer strays too close the the North Koren boarder or some aid worker ignores travel warnings and is kidnapped in a hostile country?
If an American is being held overseas, he'd be criticized for not trying to get them out. If he risks lives to get them out, he'd be criticized for that. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.
If an American is being held overseas, he'd be criticized for not trying to get them out. If he risks lives to get them out, he'd be criticized for that. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.
I think that is a bit unfair. At a minimum, inaccurate. There will always be people who criticize the President no matter what political affiliation he has.
It is an entirely different matter when one ignores travel warnings and past incidences to travel to a hostile, or potentially hostile, area. I have a hard time believing the State Department issues warnings just for press coverage. There surely is a reason for these warnings.
If someone chooses to ignore all warnings and proceed into a dangerous situation in an area where people want to kill you based on where you are from, why should anyone rush to your aid? Why should the taxpayers be saddled with the bill for rescuing you? Why should political capital be expended to bring you home? Why should a soldier have to go risk getting shot for you? YOU are the one who ignored warnings to go on your humanitarian crusade in hostile areas. Guess what? You could have effected just as much change here, at home, in the US. And, best of all, you wouldn't have got your stupid butt kidnapped or killed. I guess it's just more romantic to go overseas to help people and say screw the people here at home.
"But yeah, I think they waited too long," he said. "Through people that have gotten released, we had an idea of where they were, a real good idea where they were."
WHY WAS SHE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?!?!??! Especially knowing people had been kidnapped and/or killed? <----- There aren't enough of these.
I guess our gubmint could take that as a message as well.
Last edited by spankys bbq; 02-23-2015 at 08:13 PM..
Zero resources should be placed at risk or expended trying to resuce those who place themselves in harm's way when there is a reasonable chance that they will end up badly. I'd extend that thinking to skiiers who go to avalanche zones to play.
My wife has family in Ukraine. We have visited there. Nothing on Earth would get me back there right now, and should I go I don't have any reasonable expectation that the US government should come rescue my sorry ass if something goes wrong when I was stupid to go there in the first place.
Kayla Mueller was an Islamic sympathizer. She went willingly. Common sense should have kept her out of the places she went to. What did she think would happen? And her family should not at this point be given any public stage on which to voice their angst. Their daughter died from sheer stupidity and any compassion or pity is misplaced.
Zero resources should be placed at risk or expended trying to resuce those who place themselves in harm's way when there is a reasonable chance that they will end up badly. I'd extend that thinking to skiiers who go to avalanche zones to play.
My wife has family in Ukraine. We have visited there. Nothing on Earth would get me back there right now, and should I go I don't have any reasonable expectation that the US government should come rescue my sorry ass if something goes wrong when I was stupid to go there in the first place.
Kayla Mueller was an Islamic sympathizer. She went willingly. Common sense should have kept her out of the places she went to. What did she think would happen? And her family should not at this point be given any public stage on which to voice their angst. Their daughter died from sheer stupidity and any compassion or pity is misplaced.
Never say never. You could end up in Ukraine yet.
you know nothing of what Kayla believed or not. All you have are second hand reports and rumors.
Just as you may, people do go willingly into war zones for all kinds of valid reasons.
Kayla Mueller, in one of the finest and oldest American traditions, went into potential danger to help people who were fleeing the war, and to help as best she could. She wasn't all alone there; she only joined other Americans who were already there, along with other good people from all over the world.
She just had the bad luck to be captured. The others she was with were not.
And in another fine old American tradition, President Obama did his best to rescue her. other presidents throughout our history have done exactly the same, over and over.
No rescue attempt comes with a guarantee. Kayla wasn't the first good American to give her life for others, and won't be the last. Her parents will never have her at rest back here in her homeland, and they will never have the opportunity to put flowers on her grave.
Where's your heart? Why would you rather spit on her memory than honor her service? Talk is cheap. Do you have the guts to do what Kayla did?
I know i don't, but I have the excuse of age. Even if I was young, I would not be eager to slap around Kayla's memory even if she was a sympathizer. Her bravery counts for more than my cowardice or yours put together.
Look at the Wikipedia page about her. Her support of the Palestinians, and work for the International Solidarity Movement make me dislike her and feel that she was little more than a useful idiot for causes working against both freedom and US interests in the world. She put herself in danger for no useful reason and lost. Meh. Another twit like Rachel Corrie.
Carl Mueller also accused the Obama administration of putting its policy of not paying ransoms "in front of American citizens' lives, saying he had mixed feelings about the government's refusal to negotiate with terrorist groups who kidnapped foreigners. Other Western countries are known to have paid millions to secure the release of their nationals.
And I go, fine Carl Mueller had 18 months to come up with some uncertain dollar amount that ISIS never stated. What he failed to state those who were kidnapped in the past were not in war zones and were actually tourists. Kayla Mueller was not a tourist and had a laundry list of activist organizations that she belonged to. She put herself into danger.
If you venture to a country with no US representation via an embassy such as North Korea or Syria, then you're largely going to be on your own. That's just common sense. Otherwise, the US has a diplomatic responsibility to aid its citizens.
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<----- There aren't enough of these.
