This article is ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE.
The U.S. Embassy here is a joke.
The French can get their citizens out but we can't get ours out.
I'm here on the ground, trying to contact our embassy staff, trying to register with the State Dept., trying to call the State Dept. Busy, no answer, 50 minutes on hold.
I hate posting from the LA Slimes, but they are DEAD ON here.
Is there anything we can do for you? As your family contacted the state dept and the embassy for you?
It can't be very easy shifting thousands of people quickly though. I heard on our news that there are 10,000 Brits in southern Lebanon/north Israel. I think that's an amazing number - I can't think they are all tourists, even if it is the holy lands.
Anyway, the RN has a carrier and an assault ship in the east med now, but there is no way they have the capacity to move 10,000 people in one go - maybe not even in half a dozen trips. As for air transport - I thought the israelis were bombarding the airport?
have your family here in the states register you... :) duh...
If you didn't know already, there are just way too many Americans there. With all the dual citizenships, the "real" number I hear is in the tens of thousands.
I don't think the Embassy can get anything done in the near term based on the sheer numbers.
I'm not making excuses here, but the number of nationals probably exceeds all others in total.
If you know anyone in the mountains to the east, that's a better bet.
(Okay I realize that's not maybe welcome coming from stateside.)
French effciency. . .or something else?
Meantime, hope things are better for Americans today.
If they launch the evacuation today (Tuesday), that's six days from the start of the conflict, and I would consider that a lightening-like response on the part of the U.S. government.
When this happened on Cambodia, the Thais brought in C-130s and Special Forces teams the minute the runway was patched; the Singaporeans did roughly the same (and it was a "mandatory" evac for their citizens); and the Aussies organized a truck convoy evac from *inside* the country, overland to Thailand.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy told me "It's OK, everything is over now" little more than 10 minutes after I'd slipped away from the active AK, M-79, and B40 shelling in my neighborhood. "Oh, sure. Right. Over now."
It was OK (even comical), because I didn't really want to evac anyway. But it taught me that Embassy personel know nothing more than anyone else (fog of war), and maybe even less (which can be dangerous because of the false sense of security).
It's best to depend upon them or whatever they say as little as is possible, and to take it all with a very large grain of salt.
I'm beginning to worry that State is trying to set up the Administration for a mini-Katrina situation. I have lots of faith in Americans being able to do what they WANT to do. That doesn't help you, of course and we continue to hope you can get the h#ll out of there.
I sympathize with you, buddy. But the Swededs are slow getting there, so are the Brits, Dutch, and Canadians.. but all I hear on the news is how America is "SLOW" to evacuate their citizens.
Incidentally, I heard on the radio this morning that the U.S. is going to send a bill to citizens who need to be evacuated.
Maybe the anti-Bush crowd at State, led by people like Nicholas Burns is slowing down the process to make Bush look bad. Been done before.
Lol, because they already left Lebanon before you.
Ground transport may be your best option.
Why are you in Lebanon? What in the world would have someone vacation there?
The French ship left early leaving behind 8 busloads of their people left near the port. In your dreams the French are more successful. They interviewed an American who did make it out on that ship, that was what she said.
I certainly sympathize with you, but the US has 25,000 citizens there! I think logistically it is a tougher job for the US than for France. Plus, with 25,000 people calling (as well as worried relatives from the US), of course they can't answer every call in a timely manner!!
ZAHN: Professor, we understand that evacuations are slowly getting under way of Americans. Do you and your family have any way out at this hour?
FAWAZ GERGES, EXPERT ON MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE: Well, I don't think we see a way out at this particular moment. I mean, most of us are hunkering down. We're waiting to see when and how the dust would settle on the battlefield.
For example, my family, we registered with the American Embassy today. They told us they -- they will contact us back in four or five days. And then we will see.