The cost of leaving Lebanon - Freeze-Frame Radio

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

The cost of leaving Lebanon

disco strangler · Smiles everyone, smiles!

i was just saying to my husband last night that i couldn't imagine why people would go to that region of the world knowing that it is so unstable. if efforts are not made to evacuate these people, and something terrible errupts (which it is going to), then the radicals will scream murder... everyone hates america and americans, but the world still revolves around the american dollar.

Molly · The Mediator

I'm torn on this one. I think as a country we meddle in other country's affairs too much. But at the same time, I have some friends from that region (Iranian, Armenian, and Serbian) who remember growing up there. They tell stories about evacuating their house, disaster drills, hiding under the bed while bombs are hitting nearby, and even sleeping through an attack as a kid. I'm glad they are here now.

But I haven't been following this Lebanon thing. Has there been any follow-up attacks? Is there a threat of war, or was this a solitary instance? If we are evacuating people because of one attack, as cold as it sounds, I think we are wasting money unless we have evidence that there is a need to evacuate.

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

No there is a war (almost full war) between Israel and the Hezbollah (a muslim radical group in Lebanon) They are bombing each other and there is an estimated 25000 Americans in the area that they want to evacuate.

Molly · The Mediator

Oh, wait a sec, these are Americans? Why the heck are they over there? Why are they being put on cruise ships? How are we identifying who's American? I'm assuming airports and other normal modes of transportation are shut down?

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

See that just raises more questions. I like our freedom and power, but it sure comes with a price!

Molly · The Mediator

This is another subject that I don't know enough about to form an opinion. I can see both sides, but I would think a compromise could be made to get Americans out of there in a more cost effective way.

(This is my problem with politics, I never take a side, I always want a compromise.)

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

Well CNN had a poll about whether we should make these people reimburse the US for the fees and I think they should have to!

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

I'm torn too.

As a human being I beleive we have a responsibility to them as humans to get help them out of harms way if they wish to. But then that applies to everyone there, not just the Americans.

As a taxpayer I say they made the decision to live in an area that's often in turmoil and I shouldn't have to foot the bill to rescue them. It's like a rich person that keeps building his house on the shores of ocean. Every five years or so it gets knocked down by a hurricane (oh, what a surprise, houses don't stand up so well to hurricanes when they're built on the shore of an ocean?) and federal emergency dollars help them rebuild.

Some of them may be there because their companies have them located there for work projects. In those cases the companies should foot the bill.

Molly · The Mediator

Ruby wrote:

Well CNN had a poll about whether we should make these people reimburse the US for the fees and I think they should have to!

Maybe to a point. I'm guessing the methods used probably weren't the most economic. And I'm sure there were probably some people who were stuck over there because they didn't have the money to get back.

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

Come back where? That would be my next question? Where is this cruise ship gonna take them? Do they have a place to stay? And JR you are right- we evacuate the Americans and leave the rest to die? Our world is SO SCREWED up!

-- Edited by Ruby at 17:41, 2006-07-18

jstdve · CEO - The KOTO Co.

I'm not torn on this at all. leave em there to die . The reasons I've heard for those people being there is unreal , example - " we been planning this trip for years " ( guess Cancun was closed that day.) or the college girl who went back to visit friends ( her family moved here years ago ) .

It's not like Hezballah, Syria , Iran and the PLO just popped up on radar.

They are idiots for being there in the 1st place and deserve whatever happens to them and the world will be better off without them.

Exception- Embassy staff.

Also- my roomie informed me those people WILL have to pay to leave. Still , you are endangering the lives of innocent people to do it.

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

Dave, they were reporting on Fox today that they're asking each evacuee for $200 in cash or charge card or check and they're getting a lot of complaints over that!

Heaven forbid they defray the cost of their own rescue! I doubt $200 comes close to covering what it's costing us to go bail them out of there.

jstdve · CEO - The KOTO Co.

update - do to complaining from congress , Pres. Bush says they can leave for free !

YEA ! more of tax dollars being spent to help people who volunterialy put themselves in harms way !!

Maybe I'll vacation in Afghanistan next year ..

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

More of the me, me, me society.

You should do this for me because I want you too. Don't worry about how I got in this mess, just fix it for me NOW!

Tennessee Gal · Chairwoman Of The Board

I'd love to go to the Holy Lands. See Jerusalem, Bethlehem, etc. But... it would be STUPID to risk it! The people I'm seeing trying to get home are VACATIONING! I'm with our forum majority on this one. They chose to go. They should foot the bill to come home. Americans have come to expect Uncle Sam to be their sugar daddy.

JD The Jazz Doctor · Grand Poobah

yea I was almost thinking of doing the London trip until the subway bombings last year.....too volitile, too much unknown. Think I'll stick on the home turf for a bit (tho I'd love to visit pip and ultimo- and in the same token it sounds as absurd as them being afraid to visit Milwaukee due to 9-11.....)

and then our home turf has seen its fair share of hurricane destruction recently too...

I'd love to go back to New Oreleans one day, but New Orleans has to be ok with New Orleans again before that happens.....and I don't know if that will happen in our lifetimes.....

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

What the hell is Congress complaining about? Make em pay. Where they just gonna stay there forever?

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

This picture does nothing but PISS ME OFF!

'Please get us out'

They were vacationing from California!

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

Who vacations in Lebanon?

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

I was thinking the samet hing. Maybe I am a geographical idiot, but I could understand vacationing in Israel, but not Lebanon!

Molly · The Mediator

"Hey kids, where do you want to go on vacation this year?"
"I want to go to DisneyWorld!"
"I want to go to Cedar Point!"
"What about Lebanon?"
"Oh yeah, we want to go to Lebanon!!!!"

Nope, not seeing it.

disco strangler · Smiles everyone, smiles!

if an attempt is not made to get americans out, then protests will be made that the american government left thousands to die, or worse murdered them. but really it doesn't matter, because the media will make a bad situation out of any situation, even this one when each american is rescued.

my husband's dream vacation is to hunt big game in south africa. i'm like, "okay, you chance it in south africa, and i will go to see the grand canyon..."

yes, these people should be chagred a rescue fee. i'm sure if they can afford to vacation in lebanon, they can afford a rescue fee...