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January 26, 2012

Bang The Sippy Cup Slowly


(Reuters) - Six Americans working for publicly funded U.S. organizations promoting democracy in Egypt have been barred from leaving the country, provoking angry demands in Washington that Cairo's new military rulers stop "endangering American lives".

Among those hit by travel bans - one of those targeted called it "de facto detention" - is a son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, as well as other foreign staffers of the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute, officials at the two organizations said on Thursday.
Holding American citizens against their will is not good international form. But with a weak President sitting in the White House you can throw good form out the window as well as international law and anything else you don't care for. The Iranians learned this in 1979 when they received the Wrath of Jimmy Carter. In like fashion President Oboobooo will lower the tray on his high chair and slam his sippy cup.
The United States said Egypt should reverse them: "We are urging the government of Egypt to lift these restrictions immediately and allow these folks to come home as soon as possible," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

A month after police raided the Cairo offices of the IRI, NDI and eight other non-governmental organizations, it raises the stakes for Washington, which had already indicated it may review the $1.3 billion it gives the Egyptian military each year if the probe into alleged breaches of local regulations went on.
But don't you worry none. Obooboo has everything under control.


UPDATE:
I have failed to make my point clear and for this I apologize to my readers.

There are all kinds of idiots on all sides of the political spectrum that, when they leave our shores, they do stupid things and get their asses in a jam in other countries.

My position is this:

1) I find it neither agreeable nor noble that US government assistance and support is provided only to those Americans whose political or social or religious views agree with any particular persuasion.

2) As a rising river raises all boats, a falling river does the same thing, only in reverse. A President that is internationally recognized to be both weak and ineffective endangers the safety of ALL Americans, both home and abroad.

My daughter was a student at the American University in Cairo in 2007-08 studying Arabic. She is now an Army Sgt. stationed at Fort Bragg; she is a Arab linguist and her MOS is signals intel. Suppose as a student she had done something similar to the kids above to piss off the Egyptians and ended up in the same mess?

Think about it, I have - a lot, she's kinda mouthy.




9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am with Odie.

Anam Cara said...

I obviously missed the news brief. Exactly what did these kids do besides working for a "publicly funded U.S. organizations promoting democracy in Egypt"

Christopher - Conservative Perspective said...

Sig,

I tend to share your view and Odie's' but in this case weigh in on the side of the latter.

Who in their right mind voluntarily inject themselves into a situation such as Egypt? Or, the idiots that went "hiking" in a war zone in Iraq let alone on the border of our sworn enemy Iran?

As they say; "You made your own bed, now lay in it".

sig94 said...

Hehehehe - I ain't saying they ain't got a heaping, healthy double helping of Teh Stoopid, just that they are Americans and are worthy of consideration if for nothing else.

Subvet said...

Okay, maybe those kids are dumber than a box of rocks. Maybe they should have realized Egypt ain't Mayberry and foreigners in an Islamic country need to zip it until they're safely home.

Noted.

But if our government doesn't stand up for it's citizens (even the stupid ones) what damned good are they? Yeah, another stupid question.

One final word, "strongly worded protests" ain't worth squat. Turn off the money faucet, put a few warships off the Egyptian coast and let whoever is running the show in Cairo know, "Okay, your move".

sig94 said...

Subvet - yes, exactly that.

It is often said that violence is the last resort of the incompetent. feh!

Violence is a tool of international diplomacy just as much as a strongly worded protest, except it is delivered with a JDAM.

Kid said...

Time to leave and drop the aid as well. 1.3 billion to a country run by people sworn to be our enemy is about as insane as you can get. No wonder they neither respect us or pay any attention to us. Looks like these people might be there a year, or 5 depending on the election.

It is pathetic.

And it's time for idealistic American's to stop putting themselves in these situations where nothing can be gained.

Go save people in countries not occupied by islamics if you have to go save something. You're spitting in the ocean.

sig94 said...

Kid - there is no saving the world. Only slowing down the inevitable march towards the end times.

Kid said...

I agree. Absolutely.