Posted on 08/20/2011 6:35:28 AM PDT by winoneforthegipper
Two American hikers who were detained in Iran have been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of "illegal entry" and "espionage," the state TV website says.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...
There is no defense for these two, I’m sorry, even if they were in Iraq and got dragged across the border, Iraq isn’t much safer if any. These two either don’t have a complete brain cell between them, or they knew the dangers. You make your bed, you lie in it.
>So what were they? Spies? LOL!
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009%E2%80%932011_detention_of_Americans_by_Iran
Shane Bauer
Shane Bauer, who grew up both in Onamia, Minnesota and San Leandro, California,[19] is a freelance photojournalist and journalist who has worked for Pacifica News Service, Mother Jones, The Nation and other left-leaning media outlets, using his fluency in speaking Arabic.[20]
Joshua Fattal
Joshua “Josh” Fattal, who grew up in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania,[19] an environmentalist and educator, had been from January to May 2009 a teaching fellow for the International Honors Program (IHP)’s “Health and Community” study abroad program. Prior to traveling with the IHP, Fattal lived and worked at Aprovecho in Oregon, USA, exploring and promoting sustainable living practices.
Naive, idealistic leftists who put their faith in despots and other dictatorial types. I would hazard a guess that
any and all of these lefties would lock people like me out of public land for motorized use. Sure, it sucks that their
faith in evil people got them in this mess and I feel for them as humans but I’m not losing any sleep over these kind
that have so often pushed for a left wing and “social justice” world where we all suffer equally.
Anyway, they will be used as pawns by oscama to bolster his foreign creds by getting them released right before the election.
Then they can come back to America and work even harder with the sierra club types to lock up more public land.
keyword there is “friendly”. If these two had gone hiking in a “friendly” country this would not of likely happened. Fact of the matter is, I have no sympathy for these two idiots. As a former soldier I loath people that either through utter stupidly or just sheer ignorance. Either way you put hard working, hard charging soldiers at risk, and you put your country in a position of being susceptible to exploitation. There is no defense for these two morons.
They were in Irak first, certainly to look for atrocities that American soldiers did there. Not one ounce of pity for these “jane Fonda” piece of s...t. May be they will like America if they ever come back here?
I don’t think that’s true of Josh Fattal. Josh, according to his bio, attended the Yeshivah of Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY. He finished up his last 3 semesters at Berkeley with a B.S. in environmental economics and policy from the College of Natural Resources. By all accounts, he’s simply a sustainable living/environmental enthusiast. He’s a contributor at The Jewish Week magazine, and is a Jew. Hardly a likely source for a pro-Iranian crusader. Bauer and his girlfriend seem to fit the mold you describe better, but that doesn’t mean they ever entered Iran. I’m not prepared to call our own media liars while swallowing the story put out by the Iranian government of all sources. Even if they were misguided or foolish, that doesn’t make them criminals and allowing Iran to lock up American citizens at will, on trumped up charges, will only embolden them.
“I have to say, I’m shocked by the callous, smug remarks on here.”
I’ve been here long enough that it doesn’t shock me, but it still disgusts me - especially when people haven’t followed a story closely & are talking out their butts
The prison guards will most likely say to them, “you know, we dont really watch the prisoners closely, so dont piss any one of them off”.
That is how it is in Mexico.
0ero could save his own grand mother from a single story building..
“They were in Irak first, certainly to look for atrocities that American soldiers did there.”
Actually, they went to Iraq because Fataal has an Iraqi grandparent and was looking up some family history & roots.
I don’t consider Iraq a hostile country, and if it is, then we should pull out immediately. I flatly don’t believe the Iranian government line that they illegally crossed the border. They were on their way to see some stupid waterfall, which apparaently, is a popular hiking destination in the Kurdish region.
Well sure, we should demand their release unless there is overwhelming evidence that they were up to no good.
But these kids are typical Berkeley libs (I know, my son is a Berkeley grad).
They sit in the comfort of academia and criticize America, something that is all too easy and takes no courage. Then they go to violent areas and are surprised when everything they thought about America is actually true elsewhere.
” I don’t think anyone on this forum should be siding with the Iranian government or claiming justification for abducting our citizens and trying them on trumped up charges.”
Thank You!
Riiiight. Theyre just as bad as the terrorist who joined the Taliban.
You are an idiot.
I don’t think anyone is siding with iran here. Personally I am sick and tired of all the hate against America coming from these brainless morons in these fancy universities. I said and will say it again - we should send them 10 years in Siberia and give them a taste of how people live somewhere else and then may be they will love their own GREAT country again. One can hope. May be those 2 will be glad to come back. Then the lesson would be worth it. Sorry - I am a “not born here” American and I cannot stand anymore those American who hates this beautiful country. They don’t know their luck. Well, may be they will now.
Iraq is a hostile country, it’s full of people who’d love to see western heads on a pike, or westerners hanging from the end of a rope. These people never should of been there. There’s enough things to see in places that are actually far safer than to risk life and limb for a waterfall, if that is indeed the case, of which I’m still skeptical.
I have no sympathy for people who do this. Next time you want to hiking, take a trip to Oregon, morons!! Where do they go clothes shopping, Syria?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.