[rebel_yell2]

And registering with the embassy online was a futile exercise, McKnight discovered. He said Monday that he waited several days after registering his information, heard nothing and finally rented a car to make the trek to the heavily fortified building.

When he arrived, embassy workers explained that neither faxes nor online communications were getting through. So McKnight registered the old-fashioned way: with pencil and paper.

I had a similar experience. Registered online. No confirmation. (C'mon, if FR can send a bot email confirmation, why can't the State Dept.?)

Five days later I found out that my registration did not exist. I was fortunate enough to have a retired ambassador make a call for me and get me registered.

How can you plan an evacuation when you don't know how many people you are going to need to evacuate?

Heads need to roll at State.

I understand that most of these people shouldn't be here, but they are. As such, they represent a clear and present danger to the U.S. as potential hostages, with an enemy whose primary tactic is hostage-taking.

How quickly will this escalate if Hizbollah goes over to American University Beirut and takes 50 U.S. college students hostage?

That will change your tune, I'm guessing.

[happinesswithoutpeace]

"Heads need to roll at State."

We have been saying that for a long, long time.

[Southack]

"How quickly will this escalate if Hizbollah goes over to American University Beirut and takes 50 U.S. college students hostage? That will change your tune, I'm guessing."

Despicable acts of terrorism won't change the fact that the article for this thread is filled with editorial comments, with which you may agree, rather than with news.

One of the things that Free Republic does is to sort out opinions/bias from hard facts in news stories. In this case, your ox got gored because you are mad because you are stuck in a war zone....which, while understandable, hardly makes you objective.

Read the CNN news that I posted above. The first cruise ship arrives today to begin evacuating large numbers of Americans. Airliners are likewise being chartered, and U.S. naval vessels are en route to you.

Sure, our State Department sucks (I'd like for a Geraldo type of news show to sneak a video camera into such bureaucratic offices in order to film the utter contempt that State Department employees have for American citizens).

If you thought otherwise when you planned your trip, you were under a grave misimpression.

[HAL9000]

I have a friend who is trying to get IN to Beirut. He was already to planning to come there before all heck broke loose. He'll have to fly in through Damascus and get there somehow. A few years ago, he walked into the North Korean embassy in Hanoi and wandered around unescorted, poking around in their offices - a real adrenaline junkie.

I wore my "Hard Rock Cafe - Beirut" tee-shirt in your honor yesterday.

[John Valentine]

I've spent 90 percent of my adult life living and working in a number of dicy spots around the world. I got to each and every one of them entirely without the help of the State Department, and if anything had gone South in any of theose palces, and they very nearly did, any number of times, I would not have expected much help getting out.

I always had my own plan well in mind and prepared.

Contrary to your view, it is NOT the US government's job to get US citizens out of the jams they have gotten themselves into overseas, and that includes the present situation in Lebanon.

Now, in point of fact, the US government will take extraordinary measures to try to help get folk out. In the present situation the options are limited, but I'm very sure they are trying to figure some way to get folks out as quickly and as safely as possible under the circumstances.

You, on the other hand, are a pure ingrate, expecting perfection where you have no right to expect anyting at all.

[Jezebelle]

I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for anybody stupid enough to visit or attend college in a terrorist-rat infested country like Lebanon. No, I don't want anything to happen to you, but if it does, you put yourself there, as did the college students.

Good luck. I wish you well.

[blam]

"How quickly will this escalate if Hizbollah goes over to American University Beirut and takes 50 U.S. college students hostage?"

It'll escalate very fast if suicide bombers start mixing in with the evacuees. Be very careful. Good luck to you.

[RasterMaster]

Real smart people....calling into Fox, "I'm a student at the university....we were told to stay in our dorms".

Announce where you are to terrorists on Fox news. Bright!

[Old_Mil]

Our state department is incompetent, and at least part of this incompetence is due to an incompetent Secretary of State.

[redgolum]

I have learned to never expect bureaucrats to function.

Which in times like this is very frustrating! Hope you can get out soon.

And yes, most of the State Dept. needs to be forced to find a new job.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Classic American bureaucratic screw ups. Just like flying United or American Airlines in the US. We pay taxes for these services, in fact we have already paid for them; when push comes to shove, things just 'don't work'.

Quality control, customer service, thoroughness, exactness...many things missing from American federal and state and local government, health care world and private business/commerce. It seems to get worse every year--whether Democrats or Republicans are in charge--I would say a worse under the Democrats after even more agressive 'affirmative action' and lack of performance parameters. You can see the decay a lot more clearly, often, from a vantage point of far away (abroad). I think most Americans living in the US have had services erode so slowly that they have lost any ability to challenge things, demand better service, or even have the consciousness of how bad the standards have dipped in comparison with many other countries.

[Dave S]

I understand that most of these people shouldn't be here, but they are. As such, they represent a clear and present danger to the U.S. as potential hostages, with an enemy whose primary tactic is hostage-taking.

If they are so damn dumb that the only college that will allow them in is in bombed out Beirut maybe they ought to go to trade school. And if there are tourists and business people that travel without paying attention to State Department warnings, let them figure their own way out. Anyone with half a brain knew that a war was goign to break out shortly. And now Pelosi is complaining over the fact that those rescued are liable for the cost of their rescue

I heard one "American" student trapped in Lebannon, complete with Lebaneese accent complaining constantly about the Israelis, blah, blah. If she was sympbolic of the intelligence of the Americans trapped at the University, let Hizballoh take them. They will drive them nuts within a few weeks. Some of these students make the mullahs look sane.

[upcountryhorseman]

It appears that many of these people are tourists. It seems
that Lebanon has become a tourist destination just like years ago when Lebanon was the "jewel" of the Middle East.