James Foley’s brother: The U.S. could have done more for Jim

http://news.yahoo.com ^ | August 21, 2014 | Liz Goodwin

[NKP_Vet]

The brother of American journalist James Foley said Friday morning that the U.S. government could have done more to attempt to free his brother and other American hostages from the Islamic militant group ISIL.

“There’s more that could have been done directly on Jim’s behalf,” Michael Foley, 38, told Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric in an exclusive interview from his parents’ home in New Hampshire. “I really, really hope that Jim’s death pushes us to take anther look at our approach to terrorist and hostage negotiation.”

Foley, a 40-year-old journalist who was covering the Syrian conflict for GlobalPost, was kidnapped nearly two years ago near the Syria-Turkey border. ISIL, also called ISIS, released a grisly video of his beheading Tuesday, claiming they killed him in retaliation for U.S. air strikes in the region.

But another issue was money. The group had also captured French and Spanish journalists, but freed them after their governments paid ransoms through intermediaries. The U.S. government refused to negotiate or pay the group on behalf of Foley and other Americans captives. ISIL emailed Michael Foley and demanded 100 million euro—a sum he called “ridiculous”—for his brother’s release.

“I just feel strongly that more can be done moving forward,” Michael Foley said.

[Balding_Eagle]

Photojournalist is probably all you have in common with the headless guy.

He was ‘one’ with those who killed him.

“James Wright Foley’s brutal public murder should serve as a cautionary tale to all progressive “infidels” who decry others as “Islamophobes.” “ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3195772/posts

[kabar]

The reality is that the government has and will continue to negotiate with hostage takers either directly or thru surrogates. How do you think we get people back from North Korea, Iran, Colombian guerrillas, etc.

I have seen it firsthand. We often did spy/prisoner swaps with the Soviets. There are details about these negotiations that are never made public to keep up the facade that we don't negotiate with terrorists or hostage takers.

[gr8eman]

...they close their eyes and pretend it's not real.

Because they don;t want people to see that they are the same.

[Squantos]

I do believe this administration has never watched the wind and the lion .....

Eden Pedecaris is on her own these days .....

My opinion.

[Salvation]

Proof of you accusation of Foley please.

[Larry381]

Sounds suspiciously like he thinks the US should have paid a ransom (or anything) to retrieve his brother-maybe I’m wrong?

[kabar]

The reality of Pedecaris was far different than the film.

On 18 May 1904, Perdicaris, and Ellen's son Cromwell, were kidnapped from their home by Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli's bandits. Several of Perdicaris's servants were injured by Raisuli's men, and Ellen was left behind alone. Shortly after leaving Tangier, Perdicaris broke his leg in a horse fall. Raisuli demanded of Sultan Abdelaziz of Morocco, $70,000 ransom, safe conduct, and control of two of Morocco's wealthiest districts.

Despite the circumstances, Perdicaris came to admire and befriend Raisuli, who pledged to protect his prisoner from any harm. Perdicaris later said: "I go so far as to say that I do not regret having been his prisoner for some time... He is not a bandit, not a murderer, but a patriot forced into acts of brigandage to save his native soil and his people from the yoke of tyranny."

Roosevelt's resolve weakened when he was advised on 1 June that Perdicaris was not a US citizen, that in fact he had forfeited his American passport for a Greek one forty years earlier; but Roosevelt reasoned that, since Raisuli thought Perdicaris was an American citizen, it made little difference. Roosevelt tried to get Britain and France to join the US in a combined military action to rescue Perdicaris, but the two countries refused and France actually reinforced its garrison in anticipation of an American assault. Instead, the two powers were covertly recruited to put pressure on the Sultan to accept Raisuli's demands, which he agreed to do on 21 June. Hay saw the need to maintain face so he issued a statement to the Republican National Convention:

This government wants Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead.

According to all witnesses, the Convention, which had been lukewarm towards Roosevelt up until then, went wild at this remark. One Kansas delegate exclaimed, "Roosevelt and Hay know what they're doing. Our people like courage. We'll stand for anything those men do." This famous catchphrase quickly caught on, and helped Roosevelt secure his election.

The detailed facts of the incident (especially the fact that Perdicaris was not an American) remained secret until 1933, when historian Tyler Dennett mentioned it in his biography of John Hay.

[petitfour]

Terrorists negotiate a lot better when they know their time is about to expire. I don’t think that makes it to the media unless some dip wad releases that we had a failed attempt at time expiration.

[Westbrook]

> Proof of you accusation of Foley please.

Please try to keep up.

Do your own homework.

[Larry381]

Its also important for journalists and liberals to understand that they aren’t somehow “above it all” when they go to dangerous areas of the world.

Did you hit the nail on the head because that's exactly how they do feel.
Reminds me of a round table of journalists that was held many years ago-when asked if they were aware American troops were going to be ambushed and they were able to warn them, would they?
Keep in mind these were American journalists and of course they decided they couldn't warn them -it would be unethical!
During the balance of this TV round table these journalistic insects were actually congratulating themselves on the ethical bravery it would take for them to allow their fellow countrymen to be slaughtered.
I have little doubt they still feel the same way.

[DownInFlames]

We don’t negotiate w terrorists! This should be our motto.

[NKP_Vet]

One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite generals that knew how to fight a war.UPDATED.

“My solution to the problem would be to tell the terrorists that they’ve got to draw in their horns and stop their aggression or we’re going to bomb them into the stone age”.

~ General Curtis LeMay, Father of the Strategic Air Command

[DoodleDawg]

“There’s more that could have been done directly on Jim’s behalf,” Michael Foley, 38, told Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric in an exclusive interview from his parents’ home in New Hampshire.

For example?

[petitfour]

A straight jacket before he offered himself up as a sacrifice and returned to a terrorist hotbed?

[cripplecreek]

After “journalists” were detained by police in Ferguson for refusing to leave a restaurant last week, an editor got slapped around on twitter for claiming that the press has “extended” rights.

I even had a FReeper try to tell me that the press has specific rights the rest of us don’t have. There’s nothing in the constitution that designates who is and isn’t the press so there can be no way of granting those special rights.

If my garage burns down and I come back to Free Republic and post about it, I’ve just reported. Whammo! I am the press.

[BykrBayb]

Google Chris Stephens.

[B4Ranch]

>>Foley was pro-Islam, anti-Israel.<<

That’s been my understanding of this. I’ve been wondering what all the fuss is about. As far as I’m concerned another Muslim supporter is dead. Yeah, so what? Should I stand up and cheer or what?

[Ann Archy]

What IS the GLOBALPOST???? Never heard of it?? Anyone know?

[BykrBayb]

Stevens. (Don’t know why my correction didn’t take.)

[kabar]

Diplomats have been killed and wounded in the line of service for a very long time. I served 28 years as a foreign service officer. We should never place our personnel in danger if the host government cannot provide for their security. That is the real lesson of Benghazi.