That was my comment (reading this on Tues. morning): don't MOST of the "average" Americans, whether it's the hostages or last year's people trapped inside the building with the bio disease, act like simpering cowards? Wouldn't you like to see one or two of these people say, "Screw you. Shoot me standing up, ya jackass."
Going from memory here...wasn't there an Italian who had been taken hostage in the Middle East a while back who defied his captors in such a manner? I believe his quote was "Now I'll show you how an Italian dies!" just before he was executed by his captors? Now that's courage, and I will always remember the example he set.