Posted on 07/18/2006 8:41:33 AM PDT by Woodstock
Fox is reporting live for Beirut. Sea Stallion helicopters are now evacuating women, children and other special cases from via landings at the Beirut embassy.
Hope USN and IDF have their IFF system worked out.
Agreed. Every point.
ping
"The French really know how to get things done, don't they? As long as it involves running away, that is."
LOL
So we the taxpayer have pay for the poor judgment of people who chose to vacation in war zones? And yes, I would expect the US govt. to act far more quickly to protect the lives of soldiers and diplomats, people the govt. placed in harm's way should they be somewhere where hostilities suddenly break out. The govt. didn't ask for people to vacation or to do missionary work in Lebanon. In the end we'll pay to get them out and that's fine. I just don't like the bitching that it's not suitable to their idea of how fast it should happen.
Lebabon was not a war zone. Do you suggest that prople should not visit Israel?
Thanks for the pic
Hey...DON"T VISIT BALTIMORE.
Why should my tax dollars go to protecting some tourist who takes a wrong turn and ends up in the morgue.?
'but the problem is they are NOT here - yet.'
Alright then. I would wait for a Frog or a boat before I rode a s*&$$#r out of that place. Even if you live, you'd never get the oil and tranny fluid off you.
Lebanon has been a war zone for years crawling with terrorist militias, with just a short break from the fighting for a few years that was inevitably going to break out again because the govt. there tolerated the presence of Iranian and Syrian backed terrorist groups intent on attacking Israel, including 20% of their parliament being controlled by these same people.
And yes, I would probably suggest that Israel is not the safest place to go on vacation especially as missiles stream in by the day. But at least there's a functioning government in Israel better able to protect the lives of vacationers. The same cannot be said of Lebanon.
Hopefully all the people are documented aliens (sarc)
I expect my government to provide law enforcement protection within its own borders. That is a basic function of govt. But I don't expect govt. to provide me with a Sea Stallion helicopter because I chose to vacation in a terrorist safe-haven. I think the first is a reasonable expectation of govt. The latter is a nicety we the taxpayers foot the bill for.
My posts are thread crossers. Is there anything FR can't do?
You are correct the MSM is trying to create another issue i.e. Katrina that the administration is too late to respond to getting out Americans, etc.
I hope (but am not optimistic) the Bush team learned that they need to play offense and not allow the MSM to reiterate a slow response. They also need to make the point that the state dept. has had warnings posted for years that one travels at their own risk to these areas and now they all want out within 24 hours?
I hope we take out those that had to be there for work first and those that chose to be there follow but most important, I hope the Administration has a good PR team this time. They typically don't have a good communications team for anything....
You're right. Get out in front of it. I don't think this has the ability to move many people though like Katrina. No Americans have died and people are being evacuated. And I think in this case the perception is that many of these people are there by choice. Regardless, the administration needs to explain what it's doing to get people out so the Democrats and their media lapdogs can't define this thing before the administration can speak up for itself. Not that I expect the media will give any attention to the administration countering the media's version of events, but they need to try.
Getting trapped in a foreign country when a war breaks out is not that rare an event. Anybody ever read the British author Olivia Manning's wonderful books, The Balkan Trilogy? She and her husband were busy teaching English in Bucharest just before WWII, when suddenly tanks rolled down the streets and they were trapped. The first book concerns their attempts to get out - and they finally manage to do so, and end up in Egypt...and then Jerusalem.
Great stories (made into a BBC mini-series). But basically, if you go into an unstable or threatened region, it's your choice. The entire ME is unstable, and people shouldn't be surprised if sometimes its boiling-over moment coincides with their vacation.
Exactly. Anytime you travel in the Middle East you have to assume you're travelling in a war zone, no matter how far removed you may think you are from hostilities. As we've seen over and over again, war and terrorism can strike anywhere in the region.
Actually I wasn't being sarcastic, I agree with you.....I just happen to equate parts of Baltimore with a war zone.
You may well have a different tune were to you legitimately have been in Beirut on official legitimate assignment, you turned to your government for help (you know, the one you paid 36% of your salary to last year?--i.e. which you fund with your tax dollars), and you got the usual "Your Call is Very Important to US, Please Stay on the Line" bullsh*t you get from United Airlines, American Airlines, Walgreens, Prudential, Social Security Administration, O'Hare Airport, General Motors, Houston Department of Power, Radisson, Dirt Devil, Lexington, Ky City Hall, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Target, Comcast, the Federal Government, the State Courthouse, you name it in America these days.
Ahh yes, like on the way to the Zoo or Eastern ave before Fells Point. Took a wrong turn coming back from the zoo one day and found myself on a one way street filled up and down with dealers hanging out in the middle of the road. Never prayed so hard in my life.
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