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# Posted 6:18 PM by Ariel David Adesnik

JUST SLIGHTLY IRONIC: The WaPo reports that the four Westerners taken hostage together in Iraq are peace activists affiliated with Christian Peacemaker Teams, based in Chicago. Naturally, the organization blamed the US and the UK for the kidnappings:

"We are angry because what has happened to our teammates is the result of the actions of the U.S. and U.K. government due to the illegal attack on Iraq and the continuing occupation and oppression of its people," [its] statement said.

I very much hope that these four activists return safely home, because they mean well in their misguided way. But I do have to ask, if their captors murder them, as they have a good number of other civilian prisoners, would that also be Bush and Blair's fault? Or at some point do these activists acknowledge that terrorists are actually responsible for their actions?

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Comments:

I wouldn't be too hard on the group. They know that these statements are the only way they're going to save the lives of their colleagues.

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:20 AM

I'm not sure that's the case, volpone. The group made statements like that prior to the kidnapping, and it didn't stop their people from being grabbed. Turning up the rhetoric may help, leading to a show of "mercy" for "friends of Islam" or some other such BS, but there's a segment of people that have branded all westerners with the same brush. That, and any attempt to alleviate suffering, from anyone, is going to run counter to the interests of those groups.

# posted by

Gib : 11:39 AM

Gib,
I'm sure the group believes what it says as you point out it had made similar statements. I was just referring to the latest statements following the kidnapping. I've been amazed by how pragmatic and realistic the British government has been in these cases, sending high-ranking members of foreign office to clarify that someone or other is in fact Irish, accepting that to be caught in iraq and be english would be a death sentence.

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:56 AM

Of course it will be Bush's fault. Remember the Berg case? Dad is just certain the headchoppers, in addition to actually liking his son, were simply overwhelmed by Bush's illegal and unjust war and couldn't help themselves.

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:10 PM