Freed hikers set to address 'Occupy Oakland' encampment (Comparing Iranian to US prisons)

CNN ^ | October 17, 2011 | Staff

[2ndDivisionVet]

The now-global Occupy Wall Street movement rolled into its 31st day on Monday, with an appearance by three Americans freed after being held in Iran highlighting activities on the U.S. West Coast.

The three Americans -- released after being convicted of spying in Iran and held for several months -- were set to address a crowd of people camped out in front of Oakland, California, City Hall at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET).

Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd were to make "their first West Coast public appearance" since leaving Iran, weeks after the two men were freed and allowed to return home, Occupy Oakland said on its website. Shourd was released earlier.

"(The three) are going to talk about the connections that can be drawn between the ordeal they went through and the situation in U.S. prisons, including linking their hunger strike with the current hunger strikers in California prisons, torture and brutality, and other issues," said a post on OccupyOakland.org.

The issues to be addressed showed the continued breadth -- and, some critics say, the lack of focus -- of the movement....

[2ndDivisionVet]

I had a feeling they were leftists.

[NormsRevenge]

Products of UC Bezerkeley.. nuff said..

[cripplecreek]

I suspect that they were never “imprisoned” in a real sense. Its almost as if the whole thing was a set up.

They sure got better treatment than the Canadian journalist who died in an Iranian prison a few years ago.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I wish their pals in Iran had kept them.

[Sarah Barracuda]

I Never believed their BS story about “Hiking” in Iraq..who goes hiking in Iraq..what, not enough places to hike here in the US u gotta go to Iraq..and they just stumbled across to the Iranian side..the whole thing smelled fishy from the start

[taillightchaser]

These are the pukes that said upon their release that they hoped all the political prisoners held in America would be released too.
Too bad they weren’t kept over there in the country they love.
I AM SICK TO DEATH OF ALL THESE SCUM THAT HATE THE GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Same here. More than likely, they were over there searching for some kind of “gotcha” moment against America or Israel. That’s what I’ve always believed. They definitely weren’t “hiking”.

[rockvillem]

If they don’t love the USA after the efforts to bring them back, they should be urged to volunteer to be airdropped back to Iran. Parachutes optional.

[Sarah Barracuda]

Those three are Anti American anyways..the second they were released the 1st thing they did was trash America. U think they would be grateful coming back here, I would be kissing the ground, but instead they trash this country. They are a product of a far left college..their brains have turned to swiss cheese

[FlingWingFlyer]

I agree. They’re going to fit in nicely with the 99¢ crowd.

[Vermont Lt]

We needed proof these three are idiots? They went hiking in Iraq and “stumbled” into Iran.

My desire to protect Americans...even stupid ones...from tyranny prevents me from wishing they were left in Iran. But I wish they would just shut the f up.

[Baynative]

Shane Bauer, who grew up both in Onamia, Minnesota and San Leandro, California, is a freelance photojournalist and journalist who has worked for Pacifica News Service, Mother Jones, The Nation and other left-leaning media outlets, using his fluency in Arabic. Bauer and Fattal were friends from their days at the University of California at Berkeley.

Joshua "Josh" Fattal, who grew up in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, an environmentalist and educator, had been from January to May 2009 a teaching fellow for the International Honors Program (IHP)'s "Health and Community" study abroad program. Prior to traveling with the IHP, Fattal lived and worked at Aprovecho in Oregon, USA, exploring and promoting sustainable living practices. Shortly after the release of the hikers, it was revealed that Jacob Fattal, the father of Joshua Fattal, is an Israeli expatriate living in the United States and that two of his siblings live in Israel. To avoid revealing the fact that Josh's father is an Israeli citizen, Josh's mother spearheaded the campaign for his release and his father avoided the media. Fattal had been to Israel on a few family visits. The last time Fattal was in Israel is 2007 for two weeks for his cousin's wedding. Jacob Fattal, against his son's wishes, likened his son's detention in Iran to the detention of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip since 2006.

[molson209]

LOL Iran’s getting the last laugh LOL so they think

[flaglady47]

Can we send them back to Iran?

[manc]

had a felling, you only had to look at them to know they were lefty loons.
The so called men are like girls, the woman is butt ugly.

[Lil Flower]

Ungrateful effers, aren’t they.

[silverleaf]

are you kidding, they were a group of leftist bohemians living in Syria before they went hiking in Iran, err, Iraq

I guess evil capitalism didn’t pay their million dollar ransoms, but pure socialism did

[2ndDivisionVet]

Who’s to say that the Obama administration didn’t direct them to go there?

[silverleaf]

So whose trust fund paid the ransom? Joshie’s or Shane’s?

[11Bush]

Sometimes that moonbat he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. And, you know, the thing about a moonbat... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes.