Posted on 07/18/2006 12:46:21 AM PDT by rebel_yell2
BEIRUT — Thousands of Americans whose vacations and business trips to Lebanon have degenerated with sickening speed into stints in a battle zone remained stranded here under Israeli bombardment Monday, their frustration and anger mounting because the U.S. government hasn't gotten them out faster.
Waiting around Beirut with bags packed and fingers crossed, U.S. citizens derided the embassy for busy phone lines, a lack of information and gnawing uncertainty over when and whether they will get out. Hundreds were expected to be shipped to Cyprus today, but how long the full evacuation will take remains uncertain.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Peach just proved he said he hates Hizbollah .
Peach proved he's frustrated at the state dept but not the usa force .
He can be upset with Israel & STILL LOVE THEM & SUPPORT THEM !
I Get UPSET with my children alot , But I Still LOVE Them
I don't believe I've misinterpreted his posts. And certainly, I'm quite sure I (or anyone else) didn't not misinterpret his posts deliberately.
Now that you mention it ... if someone is only getting the media's view of what is happening all around you, you do kind of think it's different from what it is.
RY2 had wanted to rent a boat to take him to Larnaca - a few days back, when he started thinking this was getting pretty bad over there. At some point, Israel put up a blockade of Beirut Harbor, keeping all boats, small and large, from going in.
Thus, when he called about renting a boat, no one could rent to him. That's why he was mad at Israel and felt he was a hostage - because he couldn't rent a boat and get out on his own. What wasn't being said to him was that Israel *is* letting evac ships and boats in and out of the harbor.
Then I was told by people who knew the intel in the area at this time, that it was the government of Lebanon that was stopping the evacs (which it was, stopping American evacs, even as late as yesterday morning) by not letting American ships dock in Beirut. I tried to convey that to RY2 so he wouldn't be quite so mad at Israel.
What I thought were mixed signals or crossed wires, were really two separate, true statements. The Lebanese (gov't, not Hezbollah, necessarily) were trying to keep the Americans in Beirut as pawns, not hostages, but as leverage against Beirut being destroyed.
He "got" that part, but not the "keeping them safely in Beirut because they're valuable" part. He felt the walls were closing in on him (we all know that feeling) and just wanted OUT by any means possible and as rapidly as possible.
I tried to reassure him that he was in the least danger of anyone in town at that point, because he had supplies and was not a target of anyone except the Hezbollah, all of whose attention was focused on bombing Israel, not their own "nest."
The major problem, for him, is that the American evacs are taking place with sick and elderly people first, then families with children or any children who are on their own there, and then younger people, such as college students, then women, then men. He would be in the last group chosen out of the 8,000 expected to evacuate.
He couldn't tolerate that thought, so I tried to help him get a private evac, which he could've done - still could - as he had said money wasn't a problem and he might call these people as a last resort. When he never responded after our first few FReepmails and several of my posts - but he spent his posting time arguing with the flamers - I gave up trying to calm his fears.
I sincerely hope he did get out just fine - but I hope he doesn't join the lib chorus who is screaming for Bush's head on a platter because we "looked bad" for not being "allowed" out of Lebanon when French, Italians, Swedes and others had already sailed.
Not being friendly enough with the Hezbollah to *get* to go out in the first wave is not something to hang our heads or rant about! It's quite a point of pride!
This teacher in Lebanon who expects to get out tomorrow has been on our local news by phone to her family here in Houston and ended her rant tonight with "why is my life more important than that of my friends in Lebanon?"
Loud and clear.
Just for the record...ditto.
I posted upthread that Rebel said he supports Israel and is even willing to suffer the inconvenience of not getting home if it means they get rid of Hezbollah.
So I noticed.
I think alot of freepers are being too hard on rebel_yell2
I BELIEVE a freeper can be frustrated with the state dept & still be a good citizen.
I Know many Americans who work very very VERY hard for health insurance .
i THINK it's HORRIBLE that lawbreakers get FREE health care , & we are shutting down hospitals because of that !
In Mexico USA Citizens are treated horribly ! USA Citizens can NOT buy beach front property in Mexico . USA Citizens Can NOT get A Mexico drivers permit easy & USA Citizens can NOT get work in Mexico easily at ALL !!, & ETC.......
yeah, his character shines with his whines. He sounds like a typical snobbish yuppie.
It's anxious for updates we are! /Yoda voice
I like Peach, but she didn't prove anything except that she knows how to pull up posts. We all know how to do that.
Rebel has repeatedly blamed Israel for holding him hostage.
Peach, he was blaming Israel for blockading the port (which someone more informed than anyone on this thread confirms they were not) and saying that Israel was holding 100,000 foreign nationals hostage.
That is what got my proverbial goat--hostage!
Give me a break.
At that point I pointed out "it's not about him" while remaining entirely sympathetic to his plight.
We get your point, RY says he supports Israel but then accuses them of holding him hostage. "Hostage" is a pretty loaded term, you know.
Yeah, dang. It's too bad he's not a sterling character like you--giving us your opinion from the safety of your computer chair.
Why would we want to?
It seems everyone pretty much agrees that he was blaming Israel so I won't bother with all his bashing and second guessing them. Also I would like to note that many said he was right to be angry about no updates on SD website- rebel posted several SD updates- didn't he get them off SD website? From what I could tell Rebel was complaining because SD was not contacting him personally or updating info daily (could it be they at times had no update from previous info?)
At bottom are rebels posts that ticked me and many others off; not all that set me on edge mind you, but many. We can agree to disagree- I really don't care if you don't see it the way I do.
Mind you he was continually told by those with military background that detailed planning and diplomacy had to be done before successful US Military rescue, and was reminded of possibility of attack on US rescue by Hez. Yet he was still critical of Navy's slowness to respond- BTW since the Marines are w/Navy ships those close to Marines naturally got their hackles up too. It is pretty clear he expected Navy bringing Marines to drop everything and rush in to get him, would not let others explain logistics of operation to him.
I also copied his references to being held hostage by Israel, that was over the top.
Everything that follows was posted by Rebel:
The Iwo Jima battle group was in the Red Sea last Wednesday when this all started. Contingency planning might suggest beginning to move it through the Suez Canal and toward Lebanon a bit quicker?
Actually, all they really need to get started is a destroyer or two and a couple of chartered cruise ships. That is what is happening today, six days later.
I am unhappy about being held hostage by a foreign government.
I love all of these "I told you so" tsk-tskers who are so unsympathetic to fellow citizens who are being held hostage by a foreign government. The funny thing is that it isn't Hizbollah that prevents us from leaving Beirut; it is our staunchest ally.
Let me point out that the Iwo Jima amphibious landing group is STILL in the Red Sea, seven days after this thing began. You have to START moving a ship before it can get somewhere.
Can someone explain to me (real slow because I'm real slow) why the Iwo Jima and its amphibious landing ship cohorts, which have been in the Red Sea for the past seven days, were only dispatched to the Lebanese coast today, and won't be here until Thursday? This sounds like the work of the same contingency planners that work at State; a day late and a dime short.
But then Israel took close to 100,000 foreign nationals hostage by bombing Beirut airport and imposing a blockade.
It is a loaded term and I'm sure if he was back in the safety of his study at his computer without bombs going off he wouldn't have used that term.
My guess is he used that term because the port was inaccessible (unaccessible? - I'm too tired to be posting LOL) due to the bombing.
Regardless, if based on the inaccurate or improper usage of a term is going to make me condemn a freeper in a war zone, I'll quit FR. That's just my feeling.
I've seen more lies about this freeper than I can shake a stick at and that's mostly what I'm reacting to.
A Very loaded term. The private evac person went bonkers when I said that word. I was saying it in relation to any American who had to go to Syria to "evacuate."
Whoa! He stated emphatically that no one was taking any Americans hostage anywhere.
In the oil patch, we have to be friends with lots of people we wouldn't be otherwise. I'm making a wild guess that many of this company's services are used worldwide by corporate oilfield clients. You can see where I'm going with that.
Clear as a bell ;-) I am EXTREEEMLY familiar with that environment.
Kudos to you for taking action on this Freeper's behalf. I don't spend much time here but now I realize it's folks like you who make an internet site like this feel like a family.
I feel bad because I probably could have taken action like you did and failed to do so.
Well, off to bed for me. Good night!
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