A deliberate provocation, designed to test our mettle. Time for the President to call for negotiations again! "Iran to try 3 Americans who crossed Iraqi border," by Nasser Karimi for Associated Press, December 14 (thanks to all who sent this in):
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Monday it would try three Americans jailed since crossing the border from Iraq in July, a step certain to aggravate the U.S. at a time when Tehran is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program.Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki did not say when proceedings would begin or specify the charge other than to say the Americans had "suspicious aims." In November, however, authorities accused the Americans of spying.
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the Iranian move was "totally unfounded" and appealed anew to authorities in Iran to release them.
"We consider this a totally unfounded charge," she told reporters. "There is no basis for it. The three young people who were detained by the Iranians have absolutely no connection with any kind of action against the Iranian state or government."
"In fact, they were out hiking and unfortunately, apparently, allegedly, walked across an unmarked boundary," she said. "We appeal to the Iranian leadership to release these three young people and free them as soon as possible."
There are concerns in the U.S. that Iran could use the three, arrested July 31, as bargaining chips in talks over its nuclear program or in seeking the return of Iranians they say are missing.
"They will be tried by Iran's judiciary system and verdicts will be issued," Mottaki said at a news conference, without elaborating. He said the three were still being interrogated....
In November, Tehran chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said the three "have been accused of espionage." But it was not clear from his brief comments whether formal charges had been filed against the Americans....
Iran certainly is pro-active in pissing off people these days aren't they?
What's that old saying? Pride cometh before the fall.
To quote: In the King James version of the Holy Bible, Proverbs 16:18 warns that "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
These three are UC Berkeley students and hikers—the idea that they are *American spies* is ludicrous.
How many Westerners has Iran seized at various times, now? There were the two boatloads of British sailors, American student journalist Roxanne Sobari, and Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari.
Bahari was accused of being a spy for the CIA, MI6, Mossad…and *Newsweek*. Of course, anyone who knew much about the Muslim-apology editorial policies at Newsweek would understand the absurdity of the charge.
Bahari is a bit of an apologist at times himself, but his harrowing account of his imprisonment, interrogations, and torture in Iran for Newsweek—"118 Days in Hell"—is well worth reading:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/223862
Just gathering hostages in the time-honored Muslim fashion.
Gravenimage - thanks for posting that link. I just read it. Quite illuminating. In particular, it does suggest that no matter how much the monsters may bluff and bluster, resolute external pressure - even just relentless fact-based critique, shaming, exposure, and letting them know that we know what they're up to and we DON'T APPROVE - does have an effect. Bullies fold when confronted.
When I had finished reading it, I thought in Mr Bahari's direction: apostasise, Mr Bahari. Just dump Islam altogether and apostasise: after all, it wasn't Quran verses that kept your soul alive in the dark place, the habitation of cruelty that is Evin prison, it was... all those sweet soul-songs by Jewish crooner Leonard Cohen, songs that you knew by heart. Keep listening to Leonard Cohen Mr Bahari.
I'll put Mr Bahari's name alongside Tawfik Hamid's on my list of 'people who need to face facts and leave Islam altogether'; and pray.
I think it is time to start to seriously restrict travel to that region.
I think it is time to start to seriously restrict travel to that region.
There's no mettle there to test.
Not with Red Hussein running the shop.
It is somewhat ironic that some of the individual hikers were known for their anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian stance.
Maybe Iran doesn't know that the hikers are actually on their side....they come from UC Berkeley...
Ain't justice poetic?
Come to think of it, there have been a number of jihaddi sympathizers and candy-brain jihad deniers that ended up being kidnapped or killed by jihaddis.
Call me nasty, but I sort of enjoy it.
These three should be locked up for life.Are these people that naive not to be aware of what awaits them when they travel to that region?Did they think they were on the U.S-Canadian border?Never mess with a totalitarian system.
Jim Foster, Puslsar and Joe Blough—there will be no "justice" here. What it comes down to is that American Infidels are considered "spies" and "Zionists" no matter their politics.
You may find these three naive and silly—or even distasteful in some of their views—I know I do. But what it comes down to—in my estimation—is that the Iranian regime will imprison, try, and likely torture *American citizens*.
And they would do the same to you—or to me, or to an aid worker, or to a foolish journalist sympathetic to their cause. Regimes like Iran are becoming bolder in their kidnapping and imprisoning Westerners—because there are no consequences for them.
Kidnapping Americans and Britons and other Westerners used to bring immediate action from their governments, and loud outrage from their fellow citizens, and I believe we are all in more danger now that this is no longer the case.
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