U.S. Hostage in Iraq Appeals for Life on Video-TV

Reuters ^ | 4/13/05 | Reuters

[Sax]

I did see the earlier Al-Jazeera thread. This one just had some additional details.

[ChadsDad]

"Over the past year, Iraqi officials estimate that around 5,000 Iraqis have been kidnapped, most of them by criminal gangs looking to profit from ransoms." -nice folks these Iraqis. Religion of peace and all that.

[BrooklynGOP]

Jeffrey Ake from Indiana? Here's what i found - he's the President/CEO of a company called Equipment Express.

[freebird5850]

"urged the U.S. administration to open a dialogue with the Iraqi resistance ... to save his life."

Sorry, no negotiations. They should know that by now.

[Sax]

It makes sense - seems like an infrastructure related business that mentions overseas work. Prayers for Mr. Ake.

[yellowdoghunter]

Prayers for him and his family. God still does miracles.

[rrrod]

As a former expat I have mixed feelings about this...When you go abroad for the big bucks you are on your own. Individual decision. Its not the guvs job to protect you in other countries. But my heart goes out to this guy and his family...Hopefully this will end ok.

[Thrusher]

...nice folks these Iraqis.

There are a lot of Iraqis starting to fight back -- and the statement you quoted mentions that 5,000 Iraqis were estimated to have been kidnapped.

My point is: the Iraqis have suffered a lot during this, and it is not just the Iraqis doing it -- although a lot of Iraqis are obviously invovled. But there are also Afghans, Pakistani, Iranians, and all sorts of "peace-loving" people involved in these kidnappings, ransoms and beheadings.

Hmm, they aren't all Iraqis, but don't they all have something else in common? I wonder what that could be. Maybe they all belong to some secret club with a secret club handbook that tells them to hunt down and behead everyone who is not in their club!

Nah, couldn't be.

[yobid]

Folks working over there should be armed at all times.

[edsheppa]

They might have better luck appealing to the Italian government.

[freebird5850]

Yes, I hope the best for him too.

[LYSandra]

I agree with YOBID- all workers should be armed-if they are taken hostage chances are they are going to die so I would prefer to defend myself on the spot and die there trying or kill the ba------ and maybe it would be a deterent to other jerks trying to take our citizens as hostages.

[Beth528]

Depraved is what I think of al Jazeera.They get great pleasure in showing these pictures and the fact that al Jazeera is broadcasting them shows exactly how unhinged the enemy has become. If these barbarians actually believe this kind of behavior will weaken American resolve, they just don't know Americans.

[Sax]

I found his photo on the web:

Award-winning company has role in Iraq Equipment Express President Jeff Ake inspects fill heads on a water bottle filling machine at his plant in Rolling Prairie. In 2003 the business was awarded a Growth 100 Award for the second time by Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship. Tribune Photo PAUL RAKESTRAW

[bandleader]

Why(if he's a CEO)didn't he have proper security?

[BrooklynGOP]

Maybe he outsourced his security to locals?

[Sax]

One more:

[OXENinFLA]

[expatguy]

Turn the entire country into a parking lot and start again.

Flame all you want but history proves that it works.

Our problem is that we don't ever learn from history.

[Triggerhippie]

Folks working over there should be armed at all times.

You would think that that would be the case. We were told that we didn't need weapons, the Army would protect us. Our security detail only had radios...