October 22, 2004
Not Her Finest Hour
A new Iraqi hostage has a long history of helping Iraq, and a short history of irressoluteness...
A British aid worker who has lived in Iraq since before Saddam Hussein took power is the latest hostage to appear on that spyglass into Hell, Al Jazeera, after being kidnapped and videotaped pleading for her life, saying "this might be my last hour."
Unfortunately, the obvious lesson - that there is no alternative to destroying people who will kidnap women who aid the poor and threaten to behead them, and that is why we fight - is lost when the media parrots this unfortunate womans pleadings. Would we continually broadcast tape of a woman held in a bank heist, pleading with the police to just stay away and let the thieves leave? No - it is a grotesque exploitation and we have no part of it. But we don't hold the same standard for Iraqi kidnappings, because of how it inflames our political debates. Here's Margaret Hassan, begging and pleading, sobbing, asking for troops to leave Iraq - which surely will make Iraq a better place, won't it?
There is not a high likelihood that this woman will perish - even those sympathetic to the thugs will not find chopping a woman's head off very appealing. I expect the kidnappers will milk her capture for all of it's worth - her last hour, hardly, they want every bit of mileage possible. That does not hold though for one circumstance - if Bush is re-elected next month. If that occurs - I fear for this woman's safety.
And for God's sake woman, fight the tears and find the courage of Erica Pratt...
Posted by MEC2 at October 22, 2004 05:40 PM