While gangs roam Haitian refugee camps raping women, it struck me as especially macabre that Haiti, with all of its astounding problems after the earthquake, thought a bunch of US missionaries trying to help some kids was the ‘problem’ they needed to focus on.
Perhaps we should also consider the fact the release happened the day French President Sarkozy arrived in Haiti. Urkel hasn’t visited Haiti. But I understand; visiting countries where you can’t have a concert and not everything is about you can be a bit mundane.
American missionaries released in Haiti.
Haiti frees eight US missionaries after parents refute ‘kidnap’ charges
Eight American missionaries were freed from a Haitian jail last night, nearly three weeks after being charged with kidnapping for trying to take a group of children out of the country following the devastating earthquakes in January.
The eight – looking bedraggled and sweaty – walked out of the jail in Port-au-Prince escorted by US diplomats just after dusk. They waited until they were safely inside a white van before flashing smiles, waving and giving a thumbs up to reporters.
Hours earlier, the judge, Bernard Saint-Vil, told the Associated Press that eight of the 10 missionaries were free to leave without bail or other conditions after parents testified that they had voluntarily handed their children over to the missionaries.
And let’s not forget Hillary’s position in this case:
“Obviously this is a matter for the Haitian judicial system…”
The Haitian Judicial System? After a nation-destroying earthquake. Not that there was any normal ‘justice’ system there prior to the earthquake. Yeah, that’s deep and compassionate. At the very least, not exactly the supportive and ‘presumed innocent’ stance Americans deserve from their own government.
I haven’t read Tammy’s posts so I don’t know if she’s touched on this. I always thought the arrest of those missionaries was just their special cultural way of asking for a little foreign aid from individuals and their families at home. We call it kidnap for ransom, but of course that’s insensitive to their unique and exotic culture, so our high-minded media never go there. I know that stuff happens with some frequency to Americans who are stupid enough to go to Mexico, and sometimes it actually gets reported in our media. I’ve seen it.
Here’s a semi-related story for anyone who is interested: I live on a curving country road on the California side of the border with Mexico, not far from Chula Vista (Otay Lakes Road). One day I was following a van with Mexico plates (and they always drive a little slow) when a Highway Patrol car came up behind me. The van driver must have noticed him because every time he came to a curve in the road, he would signal with his turn signal light. Eventually the CHP became impatient and passed us both and was gone.
I kept wondering about the signaling for curves in the road and all I could think of is the idea that they had been stopped in Mexico for bogus reasons just to shake them down, and the cop had given the incredible (in this country) excuse that they failed to use their turn signal for that kind of a “turn.” I know that idea sounds a little crazy, but if you know something I don’t, please leave a comment.
John Edwards was in Haiti too. Even the Haitians didn’t want his help.