Posted on 03/29/2007 2:03:33 PM PDT by knighthawk
Considering that it is permissible in Iran to stone women to death, and considering that the mad mullahs jail women's rights activists who protest, no one should be surprised that the Iranian government singled out captive British sailor Faye (Topsy) Turney for special abuse.
The old, demented goats no doubt got a self-satisfied chuckle out of casting Seaman Spec. Turney as the spokeswoman for the 15 Brits taken hostage in an outrageous act of piracy and provocation. Iran is not a country that grants women the freedom to serve on a ship, or, for that matter, to do many other things that Turney would take for granted.
Forcing the 15 to appear on a videotape was a blatant violation of the Geneva Convention, and the Iranians made the offense all the worse by coercing 26-year-old Turney to act as their ventriloquist's dummy by reason of her gender.
"Obviously, we trespassed," she says, praising her captors as being "very friendly and very hospitable, very thoughtful."
The Iranians also released a letter purportedly written by Turney to her parents, in which she says she has apologized to the Iranian people and notes she is "being well looked after. I am fed three meals a day and have a constant supply of fluids."
Just the sort of thing a loving daughter would write to her terrified mum and dad, huh? Knowing their daughter's captors are providing that constant supply of fluids will surely help them sleep at night.
Using global positioning, the British military yesterday put the lie to Iran's claim that Turney's ship was in Iranian waters when it was seized. The mullahs' attempt to refute the evidence with the Turney videotape was as transparently bogus as its "peaceful" atomic energy program.
The episode proved again the rogue and dangerous nature of this regime. Iran took these hostages, remember, just as the UN Security Council was voting to impose sanctions for Tehran's atomic lawlessness. Obviously, the mostly economic measures weren't stiff enough.
Expressing solidarity with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the U.S. began holding naval exercises in the Persian Gulf, but no one seriously expects armed conflict. The best that can be hoped for is global condemnation, leading to the swift release of the prisoners.
The Iranians are surely giving the Brits a tough going over. They have a history of abusing international prisoners. But, just as surely, the hostages will emerge with heads held high. We expect that all of them - 14 men and a lone woman - will show the Iranians and the world what they're made of.
Ping
Guests of the Ayatollah ping.
Isn't Islam oh, so compassionate?
I have been wondering since the Carter years...you remember...that stalwart statesman on US fame...anyway, I have been wondering...lo, these last nearly three decades...when the countries of the west were going to get tired of this nonsense and send the lads we pay for this kind of work in to start killing mullahs in a quantity sufficient to discourage this kind of activity.
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