5 Americans Who Need Washington’s Help to Come Home
As President Obama was celebrating the beginning of his second term yesterday, Algeria’s prime minister delivered the sobering news that a standoff with terrorists at a remote natural gas facility ended with 37 hostages dead.
That included three Americans: Victor Lynn Lovelady, 57, of Houston; Gordon Lee Rowan of Oregon; and Frederick Buttaccio, 58, of Katy, Texas. Another American, Steven Wysocki of Ebert, Colo., hid for two and a half days with the terrorists at times just steps away before escaping to a nearby Algerian military facility.
The administration rejected an offer to trade the Americans for blind sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui. Algerian special forces twice raided the plant, with hostages perishing each time, out of fear that the militants, believed to be powered by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, would scuttle the hostages over to new al-Qaeda playground Mali.
“Out of respect for the families’ privacy, we have no further comment,” the State Department said Monday afternoon, confirming the fatalities and perhaps deferring comment until after Inauguration Day.
It was on the mind of departing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, though, who lamented the loss of the three Americans to a group of reporters as he was leaving the inaugural lunch on Capitol Hill. “That just tells us al-Qaeda is committed to creating terror wherever they are, and we’ve got to fight back,” Panetta said.
Today at the White House press briefing, spokesman Jay Carney wouldn’t lump President Obama in with leaders who have been criticizing the Algerian government’s response.
“We will remain in close touch with the government of Algeria to gain a fuller understanding of what took place so that we can work together to prevent tragedies like this in the future,” Carney said. “But let’s be clear in terms of the specific question you had. The blame for this tragedy rests with the terrorists who carried it out. I mean, the United States condemns those actions in the strongest possible terms.”
The loss of the Americans echoes in the case to be resurrected on Capitol Hill tomorrow when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations and the House Foreign Affairs committees on Benghazi. One of the central tenets of criticism from lawmakers on the terrorist attack that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, is the simple principle that Americans were left without any support or hope of rescue from the hours-long terrorist assault.
“Over the past month, we and our colleagues have sent 13 separate letters to senior Administration officials, including President Obama, seeking an explanation for why no U.S. armed forces were available to go to the aid of the four American citizens who died during the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi,” Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said in a statement in November after receiving one explanation, from Panetta.
“Unfortunately, Secretary Panetta’s letter only confirms what we already knew – that there were no forces at a sufficient alert posture in Europe, Africa or the Middle East to provide timely assistance to our fellow citizens in need in Libya. The letter fails to address the most important question – why not?”
As the dead Americans from the Algerian attack are mourned, as fresh questions will be asked about why the Benghazi consulate workers didn’t get the help they needed, there are more Americans languishing around the globe as their loved ones and other concerned parties try to get the government’s assistance — or even attention.
American citizens who ‘voluntarily’ go to nations and regions in which there is ‘potential’ danger(s) should NOT have any expectations beyond that of the governments Department of State negotiating for a ‘clean’ release. For those who voluntarily go to live and work in foreign nations, they have no grant of our militaries, national security policies and political operations policies in their support. All nations enjoy a soveriengty whether they are on our friend or foe list and we don’t just call the Marines out and breach a nations soveriengty to rescue citizens who voluntarily took a known or even an unknown risk in a foreign nation.
Generally, with greed for money, comes great risks and consequences and these people should know that! Benghazi is quite a different circumstance!
In this examples you’ve picked people who have left this country voluntarily to go to dangerous countries.
The US has an obligation to protect people it sends to other countries – contractors for instance, diplomats and so forth.
But why should we risk more lives (and spend taxpayer money) to save people who were trying to gain fortune or glory by going to a dangerous area? It’s no different than people who try to climb dangerous mountains and have to be rescued at taxpayer expense.
Or people who went to visit their families abroad?
I must point out the following:
We owe so much money to China that we no longer have any basis for negotiating with them.
Our government is so pro-Muslim that they won’t risk upsetting any Muslim government or power by demanding the release of US citizens.
This is another strong argument for using ethical oil from North American sources, rather than conflict oil from Islamic lands!
This Administration did nothing to help the Marine who was held in Mexico for months, only when the parents went to the media did he get out.
Once again, the Democrat Media Complex is disgraceful, little to no coverage about Americans killed in Algeria. To get any news, I have to read foreign press and conservative sites. Apparently, the attack was well planned which makes me think it was a direct result of the intelligence loss in Libya.
Silly me, our POTUS has said the bad guys have been destroyed and OBL is dead and GM is alive!
The Old Media is fused with POTUS…shameful.
It is the human condition.
There must be ten thousand movies in which the monster slaughters twenty nearby villages, the entire region is up in flames, but at 2 AM the pretty heroine has an overwhelming urge to go outside the iron doors and pick flowers in her nightie. Guess who creeps up in the shadows?
If you intentionally travel into hell, do not be surprised if you meet the devil.
The only international topic which this Administration has any interest is climate change. These people are symbols, or poker chips. They probably will be murdered. Pray for those who will mourn.
Other Americans will either grow up, or follow these victims of a cruel world. When we elect incompetent, disrespected leaders, we get incompetency, and disrespect. It is the human condition.
Thanks, good post. These men deserve our help. Maybe we should show as much concern about the 157 people held at Guantanamo, most for years, without being charged with ANY crime. Sure, they are less than human, not being Americans, but they are people with families, children, and lives that don’t deserve to be spent in prison without charge.
I posted a comment 13 hours ago and it still hasn’t shown up. Why? It was IAW the rules.
Less than human, because they aren’t arent’t? Jesus Christ. Tell me that’s sarcasm.
Also, send John Rambo in.
As stated, they voluntarily entered these countries. Either as journalists or ‘visiting’ family. Perhaps the laws of the soverign countries they were in were violated. Its too simplistic for Sen Rubio to accuse the Iranians of jailing that one guy purely for the fact he is a christian. He knew the dangers of proselytizing in Iran and yet broke their laws. We here in the US get pissed off when foreigners break our laws and we have many in prison…their respective countries asking for their return as well, yet we do not concede. I find the whole presentation of the missing 5 to be an ad hominem attack on the administration and state department…as if they have control over the world. Levinson, an American private detective on Iranian soil, is a recipe for disaster. We cant snap our fingers and get people who do stupid things, or work in highly volatile countries that do kidnapping fo breakfast, to be returned. It takes time, and those wheels move slow.
Interesting point about someone going into a foreign country to work (some say greed) and should give up their rights about being a tax paying citizen and thus can be killed, tortured or persecuted. I actually see your point, just having difficulty completely agreeing with it. It is a risk and their salaries probably reflect that risk. But honestly, can the same be said for tourists, too? If a country has laws and those laws are broken and foreign citizens suffer, you feel there should be no retaliation? Even if our country contributes large sums to these governments? So I guess you are saying that once an American citizen leaves our borders, the US should just turn its back on them? Does the same go for the Peace Corp or is it just for people making a living? Sorry your wrong. Unless that American citizen is conducting illegal activities, then they should be protected by our government, even if they are lowly construction workers or Diplomats in an embassy, or wealthy tourists flaunting their cash.
If you want to be taken seriously in written posts then please learn the difference between YOUR and YOU’RE. You,re not going to be taken seriously if your grammar is lacking.
What a peculiar lot Americans are! I suppose the attitudes displayed here reflect the fact that Americans aren’t known for being travelers. As a Brit i holiday abroad two or three times a year and have worked abroad too, when i travel i do so under the protection of the British crown. Anyone who travels abroad should expect their government to step in and help them if needed, no matter where they travel to or what their reason is.