Before I deal with the issue I really want to yak about today, I want to address something I know some of you have been no doubt wondering about, namely, "Why hasn't Napalm said one single word about Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria?"
The answer is very simple. I don't trust the Washington Post.
See, the initial reportage on her trip overseas came from that *cough* illustrious *coughHACK* scion of modern journalism. They claimed, somewhat wildly, I thought, that she had gone to Syria over State Department objections, and told the Syrians a number of things not in accordance with current U. S. policy.
The problems in this article immediately caught my eye. First of all, four Republican Congressmen had gone to Syria the week before without any flags being raised. Secondly, it has NEVER been the policy of the State Department to issue specific members of our government orders regarding allowable travel. Thirdly, what they quoted her as saying didn't sound all THAT far off of what has been stated policy of the U. S. for over 2 decades.
Sooo... what's the deal?
Turns out I was right; WaPo is full of crap.
So, what really happened?
The U. S. State Department routinely issues travel advisories, warning against travel to countries considered to be in sufficient turmoil as to present a dangerous environment to travelers. Syria has had one of these advisories standing against it for as long as I can remember; at least the early 80's. I'll dig later and see if I can find out exactly how long, but at least 20 years. Speaker Pelosi didn't travel "over State Department objections," or any other such laughable thing; she merely chose to ignore a routine travel advisory.
In any event, what she actually told the Syrians was exactly the same thing that the U.S. and Israel have been telling them for years: if Syria ends its support for HAMAS and Hezbollah, Israel will be willing to reconvene peace talks.
Incidentally, that's the same thing the four Republicans told them last week.
And not to worry; it's not just her public affairs goons telling us this. The Republican Congressman, Rep. David Hobson, (R-Ohio) who went along on the junket with her, confirmed her version of events. Presumably, for him, the mighty allure of the truth outweighed the opportunity for yet more partisan bashing.
At any rate, now you know. I didn't blog about it because I suspected - as it turned out - that it was a non-story. You may relax now.
Because NOW, I'm going to talk smack about the British, and that's always good for a laugh.
I don't know if any of you have been following the sordid little tale of the British sailors who were captured by Iran and held for a couple of weeks, during which they appeared in several propaganda films.
Despite their tales of abuse, torture, and coercion, they sure didn't act like POWs when they were released a couple of days ago, as Chip pointed out in passing in his article about Joe Subic. Let's see, what was it he said? Oh, yes, it was:
Unfortunately, we have learned that Britons act completely different. At least these 15 who came home last week did. The most recent Iranian hostage crisis was a pretty embarrassing demonstration of cowardice and a lack of military bearing. They didn't fight, they didn't flee, they didn't act like sailors and marines.
They cooperated in the making of propaganda videos against their country, they did not resist their captors, they seemed happy and appreciative as they were being released, laughing and gleefully looking through goody bags they got from the Iranians. It was a pretty shameful demonstration.
And now they are scurrying around to sell their stories, like rejects from American Idol. It is a bona fide disgrace.
Well, I can kinda get behind that assessment, except I have even more information I think than Chip did when he wrote that, which makes the situation even worse.
See, the Iranians may be CRAZY, but they're not STUPID. They knew the minute they released the hostages, they'd go out claiming "Torture! Arrrrrrgh! Torture! They made me watch a burqa beauty pageant! Oh, the humanity!" or some such thing.
The Iranians came prepared. Before they stashed the Britons in their holding "cell" - more on the quotes in a sec - they rigged it up for video, Big Brother-style.
Wanna guess the one thing that video DOESN'T show?
If you guessed "torture," hey, you'd be dead in the black.
It DOES, however, show, let me see, oh here it is:
Some of the video clips, briefly aired on Iran's state-run Arabic satellite TV channel Al-Alam, showed several of the eight sailors and seven marines dressed in track suits and playing chess and table tennis. Other clips showed crew members watching soccer on television and eating at a long table decorated with flowers. Crew members could be heard laughing and chatting.Of course the Brits in question, upon hearing of the video's release, immediately claimed that that happened only in the last few hours they were there, strictly for the Iranian media.
Except there's historical precedent here. We've seen videos of these kinds of "press events" held with POWs before, haven't we? Those guys do NOT look like they're having a good time. The dudes who've been tortured may be playing ping-pong, but they sure look jerky and painful doing it, don't they? They have bruises; they have black eyes, and matched luggage underneath them; they look starved and malnourished - and you'd be amazed how quickly that happens to a human body absent its normal diet - and most of all they look unwilling to be there.
Amazing how the Iranian video shows...
...NONE of that whatsoever.
Begging the question: Lt. Carman, if your men knew this was a publicity stunt, and you'd actually been mistreated, WHY DID YOU PLAY ALONG?
I think what really happened is that you forgot, for a few minutes, in your relief at NOT being tortured, that you were supposed to act as though your captors were the enemy. You forgot your sworn duty to resist and escape if possible; you forgot your duty to lead your men, and you allowed them to forget as well.
I know how powerful a force relief can be.
I mean it.
I know the power that particular emotion can have over you. I know it can sway your thought processes, and allow you to make decisions you would never otherwise have made.
I also know that as a member of a military force - ANY military force, but especially one like Britain's, you cannot allow that to happen to you. You have a duty, one YOU YOURSELF ACCEPTED OF YOUR OWN FREE WILL, to follow a particular code of conduct.
You failed.
And thanks to your failure, you, and those who served under you, have become something unfit to wear the uniform of any military service with a tradition of honor.
I wish you the best of luck in your life. I truly do; I think you'll need it. Because, as Chip says:
To show that honor is essential, that a lack of character can follow a person through life, that a man who sells out his buddies and his country will not prosper.Exactly. Well said, indeed. I believe Chip is right. And the utter betrayal of their creed displayed by these "hostages," if that can be used for them, is the kind that will follow them for the rest of their lives. Hope those book deals work out for them.
[*Edited to add: Better watch your ass over here, too. We might just decide to burn your ass up with our War Of The Worlds Official Martian Heat Ray.*]
