What is astonishing to me is to read the slams against Americans going outside of the country for a vacation. As if that were a crime in itself.
I may have been one of those, so I should clarify. No, it's not a crime. Most of the people visiting there are with family. That's understandable, but they also went after the state department strengthened their warning about the area. Many, many Americans who want out actually live there permanently.
I think the problem for posters like me is not so much that people are visiting, but that they are so demanding. They seem to want American passports for the benefits that American citizenship gives, but they lack a discernable love of country. That frustration leads back to questions about why they are in a dangerous place in the first place. It's fine to go, but then don't whine when you get caught. It's really not a straightforward and easy issue.