tango Posted June 11, 2009 Report Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) Public pushes to bring envoys home, not Lindhout Geoff Nixon, CTV.ca News The public put significant pressure on the federal government to resolve the kidnapping of high-profile diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Guay, while showing comparatively little support for missing freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout, documents obtained by CTV.ca reveal. more ... http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...0611?hub=Canada I've wondered about this too ... There seems to be no public outrage about this kidnapping ... Have we become immune to this, or do we just expect the government to 'take care of it' ? Edited June 11, 2009 by tango Quote My Canada includes rights of Indigenous Peoples. Love it or leave it, eh! Peace.
Bonam Posted June 11, 2009 Report Posted June 11, 2009 I don't know, but we should bring Amanda Lindhout home as well. Sure she made a choice to go to an unsafe country, and is thus responsible for placing herself in danger, but she is a Canadian citizen who has been kidnapped by terrorist scum. If we were a real country we'd have sent in special forces and orchestrated a rescue by now, hopefully killing some of those Mujahedeen kidnappers in the process. We should show potential kidnappers that targeting a Canadian means swift and certain death, not fooling around with useless negotiations for 10+ months. Alas, we have no spine. Quote
Borg Posted June 11, 2009 Report Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) I believe it has to do with the fact that supposedly Fowler and company were on official business The lady captured and held by Somalis - Amanda Lindhout - well, she is a free lance journalist if memory serves me correctly - who went willingly to a country that does not have a great deal of respect for a female, a journalist or life in general. I believe the Canadian public is getting a bit tired of hearing how people put themselves in harms way and then expect the feds to come running. It is a mean world out there and one must show at least a modicum of personal responsibility. Want to play the game - must expect to pay the piper - and do not expect the feds - either party - to always bail you out. This country is not a world wide baby sitter for people who would act as though they have no regard for the situation they are placing themselves in. That Maple Leaf is no longer the passport to freedom in third world countries. Borg Edited June 11, 2009 by Borg Quote
Bonam Posted June 11, 2009 Report Posted June 11, 2009 It's not a case of going to a different country, being unaware of the rules or conditions there, and ending up seized by local authorities. In that case, of course, travelers to whatever country have to abide by the local laws. But these are Islamic extremists holding her for ransom, probably planning to use that money to fuel their terrorist activities. They are our enemies, and she is a Canadian citizen. It's as black and white as it gets. Quote
Moonbox Posted June 11, 2009 Report Posted June 11, 2009 If we were a real country we'd have sent in special forces and orchestrated a rescue by now, hopefully killing some of those Mujahedeen kidnappers in the process. We should show potential kidnappers that targeting a Canadian means swift and certain death, not fooling around with useless negotiations for 10+ months. Alas, we have no spine. Good idea, except the dynamics of most kidnappings are that the people attempting the rescue have no clue at all where the kidnapped person may be. Quote "A man is no more entitled to an opinion for which he cannot account than he does for a pint of beer for which he cannot pay" - Anonymous
Bonam Posted June 11, 2009 Report Posted June 11, 2009 Countries have these things called intelligence agencies. If we wanted to, and put some resources into it, we could find out. Go to the area the kidnapping happened, start asking questions, obtain the information by any means necessary, and track down the kidnappers. These ransomers are not professionals, they are messy and sloppy brutes, and will have left a trail of information that would not be so difficult to follow. Quote
tango Posted June 12, 2009 Author Report Posted June 12, 2009 (edited) I believe it has to do with the fact that supposedly Fowler and company were on official businessThe lady captured and held by Somalis - Amanda Lindhout - well, she is a free lance journalist if memory serves me correctly - who went willingly to a country that does not have a great deal of respect for a female, a journalist or life in general. I believe the Canadian public is getting a bit tired of hearing how people put themselves in harms way and then expect the feds to come running. It is a mean world out there and one must show at least a modicum of personal responsibility. Borg: Just to be clear about whose war this is: Somalia: Another CIA-backed coup blows up "The Ethiopian invasion, which was sanctioned by the US government, has destroyed virtually all the life-sustaining economic systems which the population has built for the last fifteen years." Abdi Samatar, professor of Global Studies at the University of Minnesota, Democracy Now. Up until a month ago, no one in the Bush administration showed the least bit of interest in the incidents of piracy off the coast of Somalia. Now that's all changed and there's talk of sending in the Navy to patrol the waters off the Horn of Africa and clean up the pirates hideouts. Why the sudden about-face? Could it have something to do with the fact that the Ethiopian army is planning to withdrawal all of its troops from Mogadishu by the end of the year, thus, ending the failed two year US-backed occupation of Somalia? The United States has lost the ground war in Somalia, but that doesn't mean its geopolitical objectives have changed one iota. The US intends to stay in the region for years to come and use its naval power to control the critical shipping lanes from the Gulf of Aden. The growing strength of the Somali national resistance is a set-back, but it doesn't change the basic game-plan. The pirates are actually a blessing in disguise. They provide an excuse for the administration to beef up it's military presence and put down roots. Every crisis is an opportunity. Should Canada not expect assistance from the US in finding and freeing Ms Lindhout? I think so. Edited June 12, 2009 by tango Quote My Canada includes rights of Indigenous Peoples. Love it or leave it, eh! Peace.
bush_cheney2004 Posted June 12, 2009 Report Posted June 12, 2009 ...Should Canada not expect assistance from the US in finding and freeing Ms Lindhout? I think so. OK...she's in Somalia...go get her. America will provide the news coverage and internet bandwidth. Quote Economics trumps Virtue.
ba1614 Posted June 12, 2009 Report Posted June 12, 2009 Countries have these things called intelligence agencies. If we wanted to, and put some resources into it, we could find out. Go to the area the kidnapping happened, start asking questions, obtain the information by any means necessary, and track down the kidnappers. These ransomers are not professionals, they are messy and sloppy brutes, and will have left a trail of information that would not be so difficult to follow. Can't do that, the do-gooders living comfortably in their safe lives have the hands tied of the people in harms way. Quote
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