Posted on 09/25/2011 4:47:05 PM PDT by paltz
Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, the now freed American hikers who were held in an Iranian prison after being convicted for espionage, appeared before cameras and reporters in New York on Sunday and gave prepared statements about their detentions in Iran.
Bauer, a freelance journalist, along with Sarah Shourd, a teacher and womens rights activist, and Fattal, an environmentalist, were arrested July 31, 2009 while hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan. Shourd was released last year. Bauer's and Fattal's remarks were critical of American foreign policy towards Iran as well as the Iranian government's treatment of it's own people.
"The only explanation for our prolonged detention is the 32 years of mutual hostility between American and Iran. The irony is Sarah Josh and I oppose U.S. policies towards Iran which perpetuate this hostility. We were convicted of espionage, because we are American," said Bauer. He continued, "Its that simple. No evidence was ever presented against us. That it because there is no evidence and because we are completely innocent."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
But... well on the other hand, a “woman’s rights activist” would scarcely want a caliphate for Nutjob. Not if she knew about how Mooselimbs treat their wimmen.
I think they know moe=re than we rhink they do. Why Iran and why their sudden release on bail? A name like Fattal makes me stop and wonder what’s going on.
They don’t look like they suffered much.
No wonder they released them!
Is it too late to send them back?
I’ll even raise the $ to SEND them back. Stupid, Commie ingrates.
They sent her back because she is no use to them and probably drove them crazy. Or, maybe she would enjoy wearing a burka...who knows.
“In fact, two hikers also specifically named among others: Venezeulan dictator Hugo Chavez...”
Maybe they can go live in Venezuela now.
Iran would not be able to get these kids back in their clutches, and they know it. I scarcely think Iran will make a stink over not being able to get them, either — even evil often knows when to save face.
Iran may not make a stink but we don’t know what kind of deals, if any were made. It would be insane if this trio wanted to go back on their own, but after reading what they’ve said I wouldn’t be surprised.
You don’t really want to have posted that remark.
It’s Americas fault that they were convicted of crimes they
didn’t commit? And then to turn around and blame America
for what Iran did to them?
Looser liberal retards who have nothing to contribute to
the human gene pool. No wonder no one wanted to go in there
and get them. They weren’t worth it.
“but the hikers’ explicit political statements on Sunday as well as high profile left-wing political connections may make many wonder if their trip had less to do with sight-seeing and more to do with political activism overseas.”
Looks like Ahmadinejad knows a good jihadist when he sees
one. He knew they would do more damage to America here than
letting them rot in his prison.
I am a staunch supporter of Israel, and I have the cancelled checks to prove it, so what I am about to say IS NOT racist or anti-semitism. It is unblinking, hard-nosed realism!
From the moment the news broke that those 3 specimens had been arrested by Iran as spies, I felt they were either the most stupid, or the most outrageously arrogant I had ever seen. 3 Jews went hiking in IRAQ, on the border of IRAN, and feigned surprise and victimhood when they got into trouble?!
THEN they tried to sell the line that they were mistreated because they are Americans. NO, they are disliked in the Middle East because they are Americans. They are DESPISED in THAT neck of the woods because they are JEWS!
My opinion from the get-go was to let ‘em rot. All the million$ that have been BLOWN on those 3 spoiled little snots who from MY point of view were merely looking for 15 minutes of fame. And now that they’re free it looks like 2 of them are going to mate and REPRODUCE! IMHO, this will NOT do anything to improve the Hebrew genepool!
WTF????
They are giving UC Berkeley alumni a bad name.
The Sultan of Oman posted the bail, I believe.
Not money well spent, I’m afraid.
You play around an Asp hole you're bound to get bitten... They knew exactly what they were doing no matter how much spin they put on it. Nobody's buying their story except for the lamestream media and lib's. And Iran got an easy million out of it. Not too bad for feeding two fruitcakes for two years and playing barter with them.
Wonder what the % gain is for Iran's investment after expenses, to hold these two jerks?
Half a million for each is good money.!!!!
These morons should go take a hike.
Silent scream here"...""""""""""""""""
Even Stevie Wonder could see that.
A Little Background information on these ingrates:
(Posted earlier by Dallas59
___________________________________________________________
Shane Bauer. is a UC Berkeley grad who has written for the far-left The Nation and reported for the Terrorist News Network a/k/a Al-Jazeera.
He lives in the Muslim Mid-East, speaks Arabic and his Berkeley degree is in Peace and Conflict Studiestypical far-left degree for Jimmy Carter groupies.
He lives and is based in Damascus, Syriaa nation for whom hes toed the party line. From his Damascus digs, hes written articles for left-wing media outlets about how Muslims in Syria love Obama but need to see him change American foreign policy toward Israel and the Islamic world. Sound like an innocent hiker to you?
Joshua Fattal, also a Berkeley grad is an environmental activist who hosted a resistance radio show. Media reports say his father is Iraqi, and he said he was traveling there to get in touch with his roots.
He earned a degree in environmental economics and policy. He also taught high-school students in Berkeley and worked in New Hampshire.
> He most recently worked and lived at Aprovecho Research Center in Cottage Grove, Ore. The nonprofit facility is located on a 40-acre ranch and is focused on sustainable living skills, sustainable forestry and organic gardening, its Web site states.
At Aprovecho, Fattal held a position as internship coordinator. He was a graduate of the program himself and traveled to small towns in Oregon and Guatemala to implement some of the sustainable living ideas taught at the center . . . .
While Fattal was at Aprovecho, he co-hosted a weekly radio show, Rhythms and Resistance, on the centers community station.
Sarah Shourd is an anti-Israel journalist who lives in the Middle East (probably in Damascus, Syria, from which shes written some of her articles), writes sympathetic pieces about terrorist-host state Syria, attacking Israel, and taking her Syrian patrons false point of view that Israels Golan Heights is occupied territory.
She also writes about how Israel oppresses the Syrians. Hilarious. I mean, no biggie that Bashir Al-Assad cuts his people apart limb by limb, like his father did to journalist Salim Al-Lawzi, that Syria has an atrocious human rights record and tortures dissidents, lets concentrate on blaming the Jews. Thats her strategy. Heres a tip for Ms. Shourd: Israel annexed the Golan Heights years agoyou know, when Syria attacked Israel, went to war, and lost. Shourd lies and claims that Israel forced Syrian inhabitants of the Golan Heights to become Israeli citizens. Nauseatingly false. I have many Druze friends with family there. The Druze Arab inhabitants love the freedom they have as Israelisof not having to worry if a conversation they have on the street will result in their limbs being amputated without anasthesia. The formely Syrian Druze of the Golan Heights rue the day when Syria gets it back (as Obamaand before him, Bushhave been pushing).
Shourd describes herself as a teacher-activist-writer from California currently based in the Middle East. Well, we know for whom shes an activist and writerthe Iranians-sponsored Syrians and other Islamic terrorists. Im just worried about whom she is teaching.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.