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I Just Have One Question....

Sin with the multitude, and your responsibility and guilt are as great and as truly personal, as if you alone had done the wrong” - Tryon Edwards



I've been watching with interest and some trepidation as Canadian officials attempt to evacuate some 35,000 Canadians from Lebanon. Just to put things into perspective: The States is evacuating about 10,000 of its citizens, the largest civilian evacuation since the second world war. The government has leased 7 ships to take the evacuees to Cyprus or Turkey, and then, again in leased airplanes, fly them to Montreal. All this at no charge to the evacuee (some other countries are charging for the privilege).

The thing that strikes me is the harsh criticism that the evacuees have for the efforts to evacuate them. They've had to wait in lines for hours, the boats didn't arrive when they were supposed to and left only half full. The trip to Cyprus, normally an 8-hour trip, took 13 hours.

So, let me get this straight. It is the sole responsibility of some diplomat and consular staff to pull off an exodus like this without a hitch. Probably because the've done it so often, it's old hat. Check page 27 of the policies and procedures manual. Yeah, that must be it. After all, that's what governments do.

Why did they have to stand in line so long? Well, for one thing, how about checking the documents of all the evacuees. It seems a pretty opportune time for a not-so-nice terrorist to book free passage to the west. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Why didn't the ships show up? The Israelis blocked them passage, even after a guarantee of safe passage. Why did the trip take an extra five hours? Well, partly because of very rough seas, but mostly because the Israeli Navy stopped the ship, not once, but twice during the trip and held it for 2 hours each time. This in spite of guarantees from the Israelis that they would let the evacuation go on unimpeded. Why did the ships leave only partially full? Because the Israelis imposed a curfew on the port, and it was either leave with a partial load or not at all.

Don't get me wrong. I have sympathy for your plight and can't even imagine what living in those conditions must be like. Honestly, some of the pictures reminded me very much of the abandoned throngs in New Orleans last year in front of the Superdome. I understand that it's almost impossible for aid to reach parts of the country because of the infrastructure being demolished by Israeli attacks.

But here's my question:

What the f**k are you doing taking a vacation in the middle of a war zone in the first place, fer cryin' out loud?

It's not major brain science to realize what is happening over there. The election of Hamas, the stated violent goals of Hezbollah, the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers, the well-known and historic reaction of Israel to overact and use the iron fist at the slightest provocation every time.

Dummy up, and be thankful you're getting out at all. It's a gift horse that you're being presented with, not a Trojan one. Treat it that way, please.

PEACE.



Part of the people's problem is, they always wait till the last minute, then expect to go, right now. Not possible. This has been coming on for a while, not just instantly---LEAVE. Not all are Vacationers, but people who work there, but still the should have an idea of what is going down and not expect the "GOVERNMENTS" to get them out instantly, then start boo-hooing because you can't get that many people out in nothing flat. Sorry, for most of them I have NO sympathy!!

I was of the same thought. Atleast they are getting out safely. So what if it takes longer or there are some sacrafices that have to be made, atleast you care coming home.
I don't get their complaining (or why they are vacationing there) but I do wish that they return safely...

Kinda reminds me of the few times I've had "bad" experiences with air travel -- people complaining about delays, turbulence, rough landings, etc. More often than not, these are things that can't be controlled very easily. Every time I safely reach my destination and hear people grumbling about the flight, I want to say, "are we here in one piece?? Then it was a GOOD flight..." :)

Well said. I think if I were in their shoes I would be thanking my lucky stars right now that I was out of a war zone, not pissing and moaning about the accomodations.

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  • I'm Evydense
  • From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  • And I'm tired of living in the shadow of narrow-mindedness and ignorance. So here's the fax, Jack! "The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and three hundred and sixty-two admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision." - Lynne Lavner*** I'm confused; curious; satisfied; realistically resigned to being a frustrated idealist; usually at peace with myself, but not always. Amazed at how little I know, and wondering how much I need to understand.
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