HERE is an article on the ‘fusion cell’ Obama’s people have developed to facilitate American families of hostages in responding to the demands of terrorists who’ve taken those family members hostage.
There are some interesting points in the article I hope you take a look at. One can only imagine what it feels like to face the fact that your loved one may be beheaded or held for very long periods of time in horrible circumstances, never to see them again, etc. Who doesn’t share that fear?
Does that fear now reach we who live on American shores? Why can’t terrorists pick up a rich person off Lexington Avenue in NYC and demand big money for his/her return? Or the child of a rich person? Is this a boon for fundraising?
America has never allowed this kind of thing in the past because it recognized this horrible trend could occur. But the recent families who’ve been so grieved at their losses are saying the White House was threatening lawsuits to them if they tried to help their sons so the White House didn’t like the publicity and, of course, caved.
I’m 100% understanding of what those families go through….imagine loving your son or husband SO much and knowing he’s suffering terribly and might be killed? But, there should be some attention given to the fact that that person took a risk; I believe most were in areas that are conducive to this type of kidnapping happening.
Are we doing the right thing allowing families to negotiate with terrorists? I thought we didn’t do that.
So, the White House can rebuff any legitimate criticism with “it’s not us, it’s the families..” Right? And, they can feel better, that place Democrats like to be. In my opinion, we’ve opened a very dangerous door … which can hurt a LOT more people now than those families whose loved ones took chances and lost their bet.
(AND I THINK YOU’LL LIKE MY AMERICAN MUSLIM STORY IN THE POST BELOW)
Z
geeez2014
GeeeZ .... 
Reward hostage taking and you get more of it. It’s really simple.
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Come on, it’s really quite simple, you know? Obama calls it “income redistribution.” Jesse Jackson calls it the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Al Sharpton calls it “Killing dem gently,” and Islamic extremists call it “Pay day”. I hope this helps.
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Kid. Wouldn’t you THINK?
Mustang…”pay day”….yes, that helps. The terrorists. Well said.
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What Kid said. My first thought was the same. Its hard if its your family member that is being held, but the reality is it only encourages more of the same. Also, you have to look at whether the person taken hostage had traveled to their land and taken, versus being kidnapped here, on American soil. That should be a factor to consider, too.
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I shuddered to hear Obama say pretty much what I did on my post…in different words, of course “It’s not I who will be paying ransom….our laws prohibit this, it isn’t a good idea, but we’re allowing the families to”. REALLY? What a cad. And he admitted “Our GOVERNMENT hasn’t acted well on this”… not HIM, of course.
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I got an email comment of a commenter I’m not yet releasing to comment here (someone new and I’m not sure…) but he’s right:
“Sounds like a target just got painted on every American’s back AND ISIS will now have an incredibly lucrative new revenue stream. Mission Accomplished Barrack!”
What’s to stop these nuts from picking anybody off the street now? And, if the family hasn’t the means to pay a ransom, will the GOVERNMENT HELP?
Is this just another Obama ‘back door’ type of deal where HE looks legal and ethical but….not really.
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@Z…”What’s to stop these nuts from picking anybody off the street now? ”
Concealed carry…legal or not? And be wary of mustaches and beards too?
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yes, and burkhas
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But, Imp, you know we’re not supposed to be worried (they’ll legislate against that, too, soon) because most people are so nice (sarc.) So, now we’re sitting ducks, the thought police warns us against profiling and that’s that $$$$ Perfect scenario for major league kidnappings.
Clearly, I’m not suggesting that’s going to happen! I’m not going off the deep end here, but I look at what Obama’s been doing and I truly wonder at the outcome.
What kind of president invites to muslims to Ramadan dinner who’ve been outspoken about Israel in such negative ways? And that’s probably euphemistic for all the stuff they say in private about Israel AND America.
Gee, I wonder if any of the muslims who speak against terror were there…at the Ramadan Dinner? Like Zuhdi Jasser or Brigette Gabriel or Hirsi Ali? Answer: NOT ON YOUR LIFE
WHY NOT!! ?? (rhetorical question here)
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If only this kid would send obama to the cornfield…
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Obama is WORSE than bad, Kid! He is Evil, personified.
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Mal, Agree.
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WHY did the defense attorney for Tsarnaev just say a minute ago that “this was not a crime with religious motives”? I paraphrase, but..
I’m wondering what other motive she thinks the brothers had?
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He’s probably right. It was only a matter of a couple of guys taking a walk one morning and then suddenly deciding to go kill a few Americans. What difference does any of this now make?
Your fren
Hillary
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Mustang, that’s what I thought “Just for recreation? We always travel with bombs on us?”
I was surprised to hear him say he was sorry for what he’d caused, now that he knows he’s going to burn, anyway. But, of course, he did remind us that “Allah is the only god..”
You know, the only god who approves of killing innocent bystanders.
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Odd; I heard a few minutes ago that he did include “allah is the only god” but now I’m reading accounts and that part is NOT THERE….. i’ll keep checking when I have a minute.
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I wonder if the families of those who’ve gone to the White House regarding this issue will speak out about the jeopardy they know they’ve put other soldiers in? My heart aches for them and I SO understand their wanting to have helped with ransom, but they must be aware that this is a much bigger danger now?
Also, WILL tax dollars be used if the families do NOT have the ransom money? How many American families have millions or even thousands?
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The article, like many written today by the drug-addled products of our education system is confusing.
First it says the government “will not stop American families who are willing to negotiate with or pay ransoms to terror groups holding their loved ones hostage.”
Then it says:
“The administration will create a new office that will work with the American families of hostage victims, but will not change the law regarding the U.S. ransom policies, administration officials said today.”
So the government is leaving the law in place but just choosing to ignore it?
If what I heard from other sources is correct, I think ransom payers could be charged for ‘funding terrorism’ or some such. If that is the case, then I agree that people should not be prosecuted under that law, but our laws and jurisprudence is out of control, oft-abused and incoherent.
I see kidnappings in the near future of Americans vacationing in Europe, Asia and Mexico.
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SF..thanks for weighing in…as you have military experience, I really wanted to know how you felt, too.
Yes, I see kidnappings here, too…but good point about vacationing Americans around the world.
And yes, I’d never support prosecuting people for trying to get their kids back…heck, if our own government doesn’t go by the law……………
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If you can’t beat em buy em. The incompetent incumbent has no plan on how to deal with terrorists and isis so like most things he has done, build it and he will run.
What people do with their money is their business but this will only increase kidnapping for ransom because it pays well. This should be a good reason to visit America just don’t tell michelle because she does not like to spend our money here. After all that would be supporting all those “rich” small business owners.
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“Also, WILL tax dollars be used if the families do NOT have the ransom money? How many American families have millions or even thousands?”
There will be a government insurance program for ransom demands that all Americans will have to buy.
It will be subsidized and if you can’t afford that, you’re not worth ransoming.
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Make the price of being a kidnapper too high to pay.
Kidnappings for ransom were a huge problem in South America with American executives. Remember? Now it’s oil business in Nigeria, western or Japanese execs in Latin America, Greece, India, Russia, anywhere except here in the U.S. generally – key employees of Chevron, Adobe, Royal Dutch Shell, any big firm presumed to have buckets of money. There’s a whole tagalong industry that goes with it – negotiators, lawyers, security consultants.
But the Islamists have always made it into BIG BUSINESS. That’s what much of the white slavery in Africa was about. Religious orders, wealthy families and whole countries scraped up millions for the Barbary pirates to free loved ones. When did all this stop, exactly? The beginning of the end was in 1816 when Admiral Pellew led an Anglo-Dutch fleet in the bombardment of Algiers that freed 1,200 Christian slaves there. But it didn’t end until the French CONTROLLED the territory (and those that had sheltered the kidnappers) a generation later. Slavery didn’t end, but the wholesale kidnapping for profit did.
Remember what the Israelis did after the Munich olympics? Yeah. They tracked those scum down and snuffed ’em out. Preferably in an uncomfortable manner. Any group that does this should have the fear of God in ’em and be watching out for their backsides the rest of their lives. Anyone who shelters …. ditto.
I’d focus my resources on victims who took the most prudent precautions and not so much on bailing out wild cards and wild asses.
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PS. Remember the Wind and the Lion?
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If we can get up a time machine, here’s a good place to dump this scum: http://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/117740/Demons-of-depravity-the-Japanese-Gestapo
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Baysider, there is only one way to deal with bullies. Make them pay a price they are unwilling to pay every time they misbehave. They understand nothing else.
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Baysider, that does sound like a good place to dump …Oh, wait…did you mean Obama or the kidnappers? 🙂 heh heh!
We’ll NEVER EVER get the guts to do what Israel did…
There’s Obama reinforcing the face that THIS IS ILLEGAL so HE WON’T DO IT, but if families do it, he’ll HELP !! SOrt of like an Executive “I don’t give a damn what the law says” order, right?
Ed….great comment. I wonder if Medicare will help if the family of the kidnapped are over 65 and if you can purchase “Supplemental kidnapping insurance” subsidized by the government..!!
Skud…yes, we’ll pay…. and pay………what do you want to bet tax dollars will pay? This will be a cottage industry for ISIS.
Kid…Like WHAT? As if OUR gov’t would hurt muslims, right? 🙂
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@ Baysider …. I wrote about the real Marine captain involved in the Perdicaris affair; Captain John Twiggs “Handsome Jack” Meyers, who ultimately retired from the Marine Corps in grade of lieutenant general. Hell of a Marine. He also fought with the American Legation in Peking during the Boxer Rebellion. Fort Meyers, Florida was named after his father. Perdicaris alive, or Raisuli dead … exactly how we should play it now. But of course, that cannot happen with an Ayatollah in the White House.
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Yes, the ‘real’ affair was a man kidnapped, if I recall. I’ll look forward to reading that!
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Mustang, thanks for the side trip. Interesting story about Jack.
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One of my heroes, Baysider.
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Well, it just occurred to me this morning, and I mentioned it on the Bennett show this morning.
This is really another Obama overreach. He has no right to make this call.
AND IT’s NO LONGER THE DISCUSSION!
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