Honjii's Harangues

If I were the Iranian police I’d be thinking the same thing

Yesterday we heard news that one of the Americans being held in an Iranian prison, Sarah Shourd, had been released.  I remember wondering, when this story broke about a year ago, who the hell vacations in Iraq in the midst of a war?  What was the process of deciding on a destination?  “Well lets see now, where could we go that would give us the highest probability of coming home in a body bag?” They could have chosen any number of European countries, the south Pacific region, South America, any number of beautiful places in the U.S. and Canada to name just a few.  But Iraq?  Could this be one of those ‘it seemed like a good idea at the time’ moments when reflecting on the decision from their prison cells?

Like extreme sports that are more dangerous and death defying than the original versions do we now have extreme vacations?  Did the criteria for their destination call for uncomfortably hot weather, war, the possibility of being killed or maimed by a roadside bomb, being imprisoned, or experiencing any number of horrific life altering/ending possibilities?  Maybe they threw darts at a world map while blindfolded.  Personally I think they deserve to have been jailed for STUPIDITY.

I can see the draw of a vacation in Iraq, Iran or any of the middle eastern countries that are so rich in ancient history, but in the middle of a war?  When they announced their vacation plans to friends and family surely someone must have had the good sense to question the wisdom of this choice.

When they inadvertently wandered across the border into Iran, of course officials there would assume they were spies; what the hell else would three, supposedly sane, Americans be doing there?

According to some reports, Shourd was released due to medical issues that the Iranian authorities did not want to be responsible for.  Her two companions face up to ten years if found guilty of espionage, and I have little doubt they will not be exonerated.  Their only hope of release is the successful intervention from outside of Iran.

Due to the stupidity of these three jackasses I have to wonder how much of our nations’ already strained resources  have been expended on their behalves and if they will be required to make restitution.